Syria drew 0-0 with Uzbekistan in the first round of Group B. I'm sure they'll be happy with the result and the fact that they didn't concede a goal.
Having said that, they haven't been pressuring the Uzbek wing players and watching them closely enough, and they need to improve in this area as Australia may try to threaten with crosses in this area. They will be satisfied with a draw with Australia and will try to avoid conceding a goal first. In terms of offense, they will try to steal the ball from the opponent in the middle of the field, and then launch counterattacks from the side of the field to create scoring opportunities.
Australia beat India 2-0 in their last group stage match, but it took a lot of hard work to get the three points. They made a number of mistakes in the first half and failed to establish any rhythm, but they were able to open the scoring in the early part of the second half. In the end, they were able to control the game with their side attacks, which helped them to win the game. I think the Kangaroos will probably rely on side attacks again in this match, and with that in mind, left tackle Benjamin Pechinger will play an important role. Australia showed in the first round of the group stage that if the starting team fails to deliver, there are players in the reserves who can come in and improve the team's performance. I don't think Syria will be able to hold the Aussie offense for the whole 90 minutes of the match, and I expect the Kangaroos to celebrate another victory and advance to the knockout stage.
In the other match of the same group, Uzbekistan gained a point from a 0-0 draw with Syria in their first match of this year's AFC Asian Cup, but they will be disappointed that they could not get all three points. They had more possession and created more chances to score in this match, but failed to win due to their lack of goal control. Up front, I expect Ekhinlouf to show what he can do when he receives passes from his teammates between the midfield and the front. In defense, Ekmeledov will need to control the line and be careful of counterattacks from the opposing team.
India lost 0-2 to Australia in the first round of Group B matches, but there was a lot to be happy about in this match. Defensively, they managed to keep the score at 0-0 at the end of the half, which was a very good performance. In addition, they showed a lot of offensive power whenever they launched counterattacks. However, their one-on-one defense was poor, which eventually led to the loss of the goal. It is important that they show the same power and aggressiveness as they did against Australia. Both Mafia Sinji and Schuardi have the quality to contribute to the team.
I expect India to play a tight 4-5-1 again, but I think the quality of Uzbekistan's play will allow them to outplay India and create more chances from the wings. If Uzbekistan can be more calm in front of goal, I think they can easily get all 3 points.
In addition, Palestine lost 1-4 to Iran in the first round of the group stage, and they are determined to get points against UAE. In their last match against Iran, Palestine failed to create chances after gaining possession of the ball for most of the time. Against the UAE, they will focus on keeping their defense tight so as to prevent their opponents from having space to build up their offense.
In terms of offense, they don't have any players who can cause problems for the UAE, but Tamar Shiren's goal against Iran showed that his quality and timing are quite accurate. The UAE beat Hong Kong, China 3-1 in their opening match of the group stage and now have a good chance of qualifying for the knockout stage.
In this win, they failed to create much goal threat in the first half, and struggled to create chances to score under Hong Kong China's forward pressure. However, they picked up the pace and intensity of the game in the second half and played more aggressively. Youngster Sultan Adil was the standout performer as he not only calmly scored a 12-yard penalty, but also had a hand in setting up the third goal that sealed the win for the UAE.
