AFC Asian Cup 2023, Group D Preview: Teams, squads, prospects in Qatar 2024; Japan the favourite to top group
Here is the preview for the Group D consisting of Japan, Iraq, Vietnam and Indonesia in the upcoming AFC Asian Cup, set to be hosted by Qatar.
Published : Jan 09, 2024 07:32 IST - 2 MINS READ
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
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
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
From Reuters