Iraq boss Srečko Katanec has named a 26-man squad for the upcoming World Cup/Asian Cup qualifying game against Bahrain, as the Lions kick off their campaign in Riffa on Thursday 5th September.
The selection does not see many surprises with the most notable absentees being defenders Ali Faez and Mustafa Nadhim who have been snubbed in favour of younger players from the Iraqi League such as Mustafa Mohammed, Najm Shwan and Maitham Jabbar. Iraq are still missing Frans Dhia Putros, Ali Husni, Ahmed Jalal and Mohammed Dawood as the quartet are recovering from injuries, while Örebro SK new boy Yaser Kasim is not currently in Katanec’s plans.
Iraq and Bahrain faced off in Karbala just a matter of weeks ago with Bahrain pulling off a surprise 1-0 win in the final of the 2019 WAFF Championship, although Iraq were missing most of their best players as teams from foreign leagues did not release them for the tournament. Iraq’s other opponents in their qualifying group include rivals Iran as well as Hong Kong and Cambodia. Iraq must either win the group or finish as one of the four best second-placed teams to qualify for the next round of World Cup qualifiers and seal a place in the next Asian Cup.
Goalkeepers:
Jalal Hassan (Al-Zawraa)
Mohammed Hameed (Al-Shorta)
Mohammed Salih (Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya)
Defenders:
Ali Adnan (Vancouver Whitecaps, Canada)
Rebin Sulaka (Radnički Niš, Serbia)
Ahmed Ibrahim (Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya)
Maitham Jabbar (Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya)
Saad Natiq (Al-Shorta)
Dhurgham Ismail (Al-Shorta)
Alaa Mhawi (Al-Shorta)
Mustafa Mohammed (Al-Zawraa)
Najm Shwan (Al-Zawraa)
Midfielders:
Osama Rashid (Santa Clara, Portugal)
Bashar Resan (Persepolis, Iran)
Humam Tariq (Ismaily, Egypt)
Ahmed Yasin (BK Häcken, Sweden)
Justin Meram (Atlanta United, USA)
Safaa Hadi (Al-Shorta)
Amjad Attwan (Al-Shorta)
Ibrahim Bayesh (Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya)
Hussein Ali (Al-Zawraa)
Mahdi Kamel (Al-Zawraa)
Attackers:
Mohanad Ali (Al-Duhail, Qatar)
Alaa Abbas (Al-Zawraa)
Aymen Hussein (Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya)
Mohannad Abdul-Raheem (Al-Zawraa)
