Asian’s premier football tournament, the AFC Asian Cup will kickstart on January 12, with host Qatar taking on Lebanon.
Here is the preview for Group D in the tournament.
JAPAN
FIFA Ranking: 17
Best finish: Champions (1992, 2000, 2004, 2011)
Coach: Hajime Moriyasu
Prospects: Japan was outstanding in 2023 and has lost only one game since its round of 16 exit at the 2022 World Cup with wins over Germany, Canada and Turkey in recent months.
The highest-ranked team in the competition, Japan boasts a side filled with players competing in Europe’s top leagues and is favourite for a record-extending fifth title.
Squad
Goalkeepers: Daiya Maekawa (Vissel Kobe), Zion Suzuki (Sint-Truiden/BEL), Taishi Brandon Nozawa (FC Tokyo)
Defenders: Shogo Taniguchi (Al-Rayyan/QAT), Kou Itakura (Monchengladbach/GER), Tsuyoshi Watanabe (Gent/BEL), Yuta Nakayama (Huddersfield/ENG), Koki Machida (Union SG/BEL), Seiya Maikuma (Cerezo Osaka), Takehiro Tomiyasu (Arsenal/ENG), Hiroki Ito (Stuttgart/GER), Yukinari Sugawara (AZ/NED)
Midfielders/forwards: Wataru Endo (Liverpool/ENG), Junya Ito (Reims/FRA), Takuma Asano (Bochum/GER), Takumi Minamino (Monaco/FRA), Hidemasa Morita (Sporting/POR), Kaoru Mitoma (Brighton/ENG), Daizen Maeda (Celtic/SCO), Reo Hatate (Celtic/SCO), Ritsu Doan (Freiburg/GER), Ayase Ueda (Feyenoord/NED), Keito Nakamura (Reims/FRA), Kaishu Sano (Kashima Antlers), Takefusa Kubo (Real Sociedad/ESP), Mao Hosoya (Kashiwa Reysol)
IRAQ
FIFA Ranking: 63
Best finish: Champions (2007)
Coach: Jesus Casas (Spain)
Prospects: Iraq’s build-up to the tournament has been promising, with the 2007 champions having beaten Saudi Arabia and Qatar en route to winning the Arabian Gulf Cup last year.
The ‘Lions of Mesopotamia’ also won the King’s Cup - a friendly tournament in Thailand - in September and claimed wins over group rivals Vietnam and Indonesia in World Cup qualifiers last November.
VIETNAM
FIFA Ranking: 94
Best finish: Quarter-finals (2007, 2019)
Coach: Philippe Troussier (France)
Prospects: Weakened by a series of injuries to key players, Vietnam is likely to find it difficult to get out of a tough group in Qatar and replicate its run to the last eight in 2019.
It will, however, fancy its chances of recording a win in its penultimate group match against Indonesia, which it defeated in the semifinal of the ASEAN Championship last year.
SQUAD
Goalkeeper: Nguyen Filip, Nguyen Dinh Trieu, Nguyen Van Viet
Defenders: Do Duy Manh, Vo Minh Trong, Ho Tan Tai, Giap Tuan Duong, Nguyen Thanh Binh, Pham Xuan Manh, Phan Tuan Tai, Vu Van Thanh, Bui Hoang Viet Anh, Khuat Van Khang
Midfielders: Do Hung Dung, Nguyen Tuan Anh, Truong Tien Anh, Nguyen Hoang Duc, Nguyen Thai Son, Nguyen Hai Long, Nguyen Quang Hai, Le Pham Thanh Long, Trieu Viet Hung
Strikers: Nguyen Van Toan, Pham Tuan Hai, Nguyen Dinh Bac, Nguyen Van Tung
INDONESIA
FIFA Ranking: 146
Best finish: Group stage (1996, 2000, 2004, 2007)
Coach: Shin Tae-yong (South Korea)
Prospects: Indonesia is the second-lowest ranked of all the teams that qualified for the tournament and there appears little chance it can get out of the group for the first time.
It missed out on the 2019 tournament because of a FIFA suspension and despite the enthusiasm for the game back home, recent results suggest a third win in its fifth Asian Cup campaign might be the best it can hope for.
Squad
Goalkeepers: 1. Syahrul Trisna - Persikabo, 2. Muhamad Riyandi - Persis Solo, 3. Ernando Ari - Persebaya Surabaya
Defenders: 4. Justin Hubner - Wolverhampton, 5. M. Edo Febriansah - Persib Bandung, 6. Wahyu Prasetyo - PSIS, Semarang, 7. Rizky Ridho - Persija Jakarta, 8. Jordi Amat - Johor Darul Tazim FC, 9. Elkan Baggott - Ipswich Town
10. Sandy Walsh - KV Mechelen, 11. Shayne Pattynama - Viking FK, 12. Asnawi Mangkualam - Jeonnam Dragons
13. Pratama Arhan - Tokyo Verdy
Midfield: 14. Saddil Ramdani - Sabah FC, 15. Marc Klok - Persib Bandung, 16. Ricky Kambuaya - Dewa United
17. Witan Sulaeman - Persija Jakarta, 18. Egy Maulana - Dewa United, 19. Yakob Sayuri - PSM Makassar, 20. Marselino Ferdinan - KMSK Deinze, 21. Ivar Jenner - Jong Utrecht
Forward: 22. Hokky Caraka - PSS Sleman, 23. Ramadhan Sananta - Persis Solo, 24. Dendy Sulistyawan - hayangkara Presisi FC, 25. Dimas Drajad - Persikabo, 26. Rafael Struick - ADO Den Haag
From Reuters
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