DOHA: Both the head coaches lost their opening matches but Bahrain's Juan Antonio Pizzi seems to be in a better position than Malaysia's Kim Pan Gon.
Malaysia lost 4-0 to Jordan while Bahrain went down 3-1 to South Korea on Monday in Group E in Doha.
Ahead of Bahrain's clash against Malaysia on Saturday, 55-year-old Argentine Pizzi said he was pleased with his players' performance against South Korea.
But Pan Gon can't say the same of his players as Malaysia dished out a horrible show against Jordan and were flayed by critics.
Malaysia are bottom of their group, a rung below Bahrain on goal difference. Jordan head the pack, courtesy of their big win over Malaysia while South Korea are second.
"As for now, we still have a chance to progress to the next round," said Pizzi.
"We need to think about how we can gain a better result for the next game (against Malaysia)."