BANDUNG, SEATIZENS.ID – Indonesia national team coach, Shin Tae-yong, has confirmed that goalkeeper Maarten Paes will start in the third-round match of the 2026 Asian World Cup Qualifiers against Bahrain on Thursday (October 10).
Coach Shin confirmed this in his pre-match press conference at the Bahrain National Stadium in Riffa on Wednesday, local time, or Thursday morning WIB.
“100 percent, he (Paes) will play tomorrow,” said Coach Shin, as quoted from an audio recording received by reporters.
On paper, Bahrain is considered the stronger team compared to Indonesia.
However, Bahrain currently holds only a one-point lead over the Garuda team in the Group C standings of the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers.
For this reason, Coach Shin believes his team has a good chance of achieving a positive result against Bahrain.
“For us, we had two good games against Saudi Arabia and Australia, with two solid draws that boosted our confidence. We are continuously improving. So, I believe tomorrow, in the match against Bahrain, we will get a good result,” said Coach Shin.
Indonesia experienced a crushing 0-10 defeat to Bahrain at the same stadium in 2012 during the 2014 World Cup Qualifiers. Despite this painful memory, Coach Shin has urged his players to focus on the future and not dwell on the past.
“As for that 0-10 result at this same stadium, I only learned about it yesterday. The past is the past, and today is today. No one knows what tomorrow’s result will be,” stated the South Korean coach.
Indonesia currently sits in fourth place in the Group C standings with two points, while Bahrain is third with three points.
After the match against Bahrain, Indonesia will face China on October 15 in their fourth Group C fixture.
READ ALSO: Mees Dan Eliano Telah Tiba Di Bahrain, menunggu Maarten Paes
Only the top two teams in each group will automatically qualify for the World Cup Finals. Teams finishing in third and fourth will proceed to the fourth round, while those in fifth and sixth place will eliminated.
(Mars)
