Indonesia team changes lineup after losing 1-5 to Australia

Before the match against Bahrain in the 8th round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, coach Patrick Kluivert of the Indonesian team revealed that he did not hesitate to change tactics in order to aim for all 3 points.

Coach Kluivert is confident to help Indonesia beat Bahrain.

After the 1-5 defeat to Australia on March 20, coach Kluivert admitted: "I do not rule out the possibility of changing the squad and personnel compared to the match against Australia. Everything is possible. But we have to focus on the physical condition, health and readiness of the whole team."

The Dutch coach affirmed: "The most important thing is to bring good results. We will fight to win. If everything goes well, maybe we will succeed. We need to play as a unified team, united as a solid block."

Against Australia, Indonesia fielded a 3-4-1-2 formation with a defensive trio of Calvin Verdonk, Jay Idzes and Mees Hilgers. The midfield featured Dean James, Nathan Tjoe-A-On, Thom Haye and Kevin Diks. Up front, Rafael Struick, Marselino Ferdinan and Ole Romeny were responsible for scoring goals.

With Hilgers unable to participate due to injury, Kluivert will likely have to adjust his tactical system and consider using reserve players who have performed well in recent times.

The former Barcelona player is confident: "I'm not worried about winning 3 points. If we don't have faith in winning, it will be difficult to achieve that. This is an important match and I believe it will be very dramatic."

With Bahrain having just lost 0-2 to Japan, coach Kluivert said this was a big advantage: "That's good for us. Bahrain lost to Japan, and now it's our turn to beat them."

The match against Bahrain will decide Indonesia's ticket to the 2026 World Cup. The Southeast Asian representative still has a chance to participate in the 2026 World Cup through the play-off. Indonesia is currently ranked 4th with 6 points in Group C, equal to Bahrain but ranked higher due to a higher number of goals.

Brawl in Indonesian league After chasing and hitting the referee, Deltras and Persibo Bojonegoro players turned to fight each other in the match at Liga 2 Indonesia on January 11.

Source: https://znews.vn/tuyen-indonesia-thay-doi-doi-hinh-sau-tran-thua-australia-1-5-post1540398.html