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 F in the tournament.
SAUDI ARABIA
FIFA Ranking: 56
Best finish: Champions (1984, 1988, 1996)
Coach: Roberto Mancini (Italy)
Prospects: The three-time champion had a string of bad results in early 2023, undoing its 2022 momentum which included a memorable win over eventual champions Argentina at the World Cup.
Following a group stage exit from the Arabian Gulf Cup and friendly losses to Venezuela and Bolivia, it turned to Mancini and form has started to improve under the former Italy coach.
Squad
OMAN
FIFA Ranking: 74
Best finish: Round of 16 (2019)
Coach: Branko Ivankovic (Croatia)
Prospects: Despite its ability to cause the occasional shock Oman have been held back by its inability to deal with weaker opposition.
It beat Japan and drew with Australia in 2022 World Cup qualifiers but a draw with China cost it dear. It beat Saudi Arabia in the Arabian Gulf Cup last year but lost in the final to Iraq.
Squad
KYRGYZSTAN
FIFA Ranking: 98
Best finish: Round of 16 (2019)
Coach: Stefan Tarkovic (Slovakia)
Prospects: Kyrgyzstan was one of the success stories of the 2019 edition when it reached knockout rounds on debut and it will fancy its chances of again getting out of their group in Qatar.
It has proved to be a hard nut to crack for some of the higher ranked Asian teams. It beat Oman in November, almost held the UAE but for a late penalty in December, and also drew with Syria in a friendly this month.
THAILAND
FIFA Ranking: 113
Best finish: Third place (1972)
Coach: Masatada Ishii (Japan)
Prospects: The Southeast Asian powerhouse won the AFF Championship last year and beat Lebanon as well as holding Iraq to a draw before losing on penalties at the King’s Cup.
An 8-0 friendly loss to Georgia in October was a reality check and Ishii, who replaced sacked Brazilian Alexandre Polking in November, endured a humbling debut as coach in January when the Thais were thrashed 5-0 by Japan in a friendly.
Squad
From Reuters
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