The Asian Cup, Asia's most anticipated soccer event, kicks off in the early hours of Saturday morning, with 24 teams competing for the title in Qatar. In addition to the usual suspects such as Japan, South Korea, Australia, Iran, China and Saudi Arabia, there are also some rare visitors such as Malaysia and Palestine who have entered the final week to stir up trouble. This time, former Japan international soccer player Toshi Sato will break down the situation of the group matches for you, so that you can prepare for the tournament.
Qatar's top spot in Group A not in doubt
Hosts Qatar have had plenty of time to prepare for this year's Asian Cup, and with no tough opponents in Group A, expect the reigning champions to finish top of the group. Qatar's performance at home in the 2022 World Cup was poor, but the level of the World Cup is obviously higher, so the team will be able to get more chances to control the game in the Asian Cup. As hosts, Qatar should be able to deliver a good performance and advance to the later stages of the tournament to add to the overall excitement of the tournament.
China is going through a period of transition, and some of their recent performances have been seriously dull, however, they have enough strength to finish second in the group. Wu Lei is still China's star player, not only is he able to get behind opposing defenders, but he also has the ability to create chances and score goals, and his style of play is quite versatile. He is now at a very high level and is very important to the team.
This year's AFC Cup final week will see the 4 best 3rd place teams qualify for the knockout stages, and Tajiks, who are in their first ever AFC Cup group stage, will be able to qualify for Group A, but they will have to face the challenge of Lebanon. The clash between China and Tajikistan is expected to be a crucial one in this group, and the outcome of the match will surely have a huge impact on the final qualification situation.
Australia can break through in Group B
Australia is one of the most successful Asian teams in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, and with the emergence of new stars and Aylett's continued coaching, it is expected that they will deliver a good performance in this year's Asian Cup and qualify as the top team in Group B. Compared to previous generations, Australia is now relying more on teamwork and less on a few individual players to make a difference. If they qualify at the top of the group, they could face Saudi Arabia in the last 4, which would be an exciting game. I'm most excited about Michelle Durkee's performance, and I believe that the Australian international, who plays for the Japanese team, will push the team forward with his hard work and aggressiveness in front of goal.
Uzbekistan will try to finish second after Australia. They have a number of promising young players in their squad, and they have been able to build up their offense whenever they have the ball in their possession, so they are expected to finish second.
As for Syria and India, they will both be fighting for the 3rd place in the group, and it is expected that Syria will be able to outclass India to finish 3rd in this group. The big game in Group B is expected to be Australia vs. Uzbekistan, which should decide which team gets the first place, but the second place is probably a better choice, as it will be easier to deal with the opponents in the last 8 stage.
Group C: Iran presses for win over UAE
Iran's performance in the last World Cup was poor and lacked a bit of cohesion, but with a number of good players in their offense, they should be able to secure the top spot in Group C. The most eye-catching player in Group C will be Asmund. As for the most eye-catching player in Group C, Asmund is expected to pose a lot of problems for their opponents and become an important figure for Iran's success. The fact that a number of Iranian players have been away to European leagues has helped them develop individually and as a team, but whether they can work as a team in this tournament will be crucial.
The UAE will enter this tournament with a new coach, Paul Bintou. He did a great job in the last World Cup, leading South Korea to the round of 16, and he will be able to build a well-organized team that can build up an attacking game with long possession time. Their performance in recent years has been poor, and it remains to be seen whether they can consistently show the quality of their team, but they should be able to control the pace of most of the matches in the group stage, and are expected to qualify in the second place.
Palestine has never broken through the group stage of the Asian Cup, but this year's team is full of will and I think they will finish 3rd and have a chance to qualify for the round of 16, Hong Kong will have a tough time in this group.
Japan's Super Class is the No. 1 in Group D
Although some of Japan's players will only be able to return from Europe to prepare for the Asian Cup before the tournament starts, the Blue Samurai's quality and depth of the bench is quite strong, and they will be able to qualify for the top spot in Group D with a bang.
Japan, under the guidance of manager Hiromichi Mori, have been performing well in 2023, showing the quality of the team. The Japanese national team, which has been described as the strongest in history, delivered an impressive performance at the 2022 World Cup and improved in several positions, giving them a good chance to win the tournament this year. Kaoru Mitaka, who is injured, may not be able to start for Japan, but Junya Ito is definitely capable of filling in on the left side of the pitch, while Kenshiro Kubo will play as a right winger. In fact, Japan has many choices of players in their squad, and there is a chance that they can play without wingers.
Iraq's recent victories over Indonesia and Vietnam in the WC qualifying rounds, coupled with the fact that they don't have to face Japan in their group stage opener, should help them build up some momentum in the early stages of the group stage and clinch the next best spot in the tournament. Vietnam should follow both teams into 3rd place, and will face Indonesia on the second matchday of the group stage, with the winner having a chance to secure a place in the Round of 16. Vietnam vs. Indonesia could be the most important match and decide the qualification of this group, but the most exciting match is Iraq vs. Japan in the 2nd round.
South Korea's Group E stands out
The two strongest teams in this year's AFC Asian Cup are South Korea and Japan. The "Taiji Tigers", coached by Germany's famous Kierenschwinn, are quite good in both offense and defense, and many players in their lineups are capable of generating scoring threats, so they should be able to qualify for the first place in Group E.
South Korea has players like Kim Min-Ja, Son Heung-Min and Lee Kang-In who are currently playing for major European soccer clubs. Although they are all excellent players, Japan is definitely the strongest team in Asia because of its better depth compared to Japan.
Apart from the South Korean stars, Malaysia's Arif Alman is also expected to perform in this year's AFC Asian Cup in Qatar, as his high speed and good individual skills have already been shown in the AFC Asian Cup. This is one of the hardest groups to predict which team will finish second, Malaysia, Jordan and Bahrain are all likely to finish second, but Malaysia is more balanced in terms of offense and defense, so they may be able to outperform the other two teams to finish second.
The clash between Bahrain and Malaysia is therefore quite crucial and will determine the final standings of this grouping, with Bahrain having a chance to finish 3rd and hopefully score enough points to qualify for the Round of 16, but Jordan will certainly be a tough opponent.
It's not easy for Saudi Arabia to win Group F.
Saudi Arabia's home league has been getting a lot of attention lately, and the strength of their national team should be improved. The West Asian powerhouse, nicknamed the "Green Eagles of West Asia", also has a star in their squad who shone in the last World Cup, Ada Shani, so his goal-scoring ability will help the team lock up the top spot in Group F.
All eyes are now on Saudi Arabia as their manager is the renowned Vincennes, and with his coaching skills and the ability of the players under his command, Saudi Arabia will definitely be able to achieve the expected results in this year's AFC Asian Cup.
In terms of individual players' performance, Thailand's Soracha is worth noting as he has been delivering brilliant performances in the Japanese game in recent years, however, another star who used to be active in the Japanese game, Chai Nadip Sangsin, has been dropped due to injury, which has a serious impact on the team. Thailand is another team with delicate footwork, although they are strong enough to finish second, but can they keep the ball at their feet like Kyrgyz and Oman.
If Thailand can qualify second, Kyrgyzstan should finish 3rd and have a chance to reach the Round of 16. Each Group F match is sure to be a tightly contested affair, with goal difference likely to be a key factor in qualification, and the outcome of Saudi Arabia's match against Thailand could have a key impact on the final standings.
