Bahrain coach Milan Macala is realistic about where Bahrain can finish in their group of World Cup qualifying.

With Australia and Japan almost certainly wrapping up the top two spots, Bahrain are in a fight for third place with Qatar (their opponents tonight) and Uzbekistan (who face Australia in Sydney tonight).

Macala understand the situation and knows the most likely scenario will be to finish third and play an Oceania nation in a play-off if they are to qualify for South Africa 2010.

"We have no other chance now but to fight for the third place in the qualifiers," said Macala.

"Japan and Australia are now closer to claiming the first two spots and our only hope now is to claim the third place.

"The defeat against Japan is not the end of the qualifiers for us but it would have been better to have got a point from that game."