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Ahead of the 2023 AFC Asian Cup Finals, Taher Hijjaz has previewed all six groups and provided his predictions on how the action in Qatar will unfold.
Iran
Regarded by many as the second best team in Asia behind Japan. Their Asian Cup pedigree precedes them. Placed in a fairly easy group should see them finish top without much trouble having Azmoun (at some point, once Roma relases him) and Taremi- who finished as the top scorer in the Portuguese top flight last year- leading the line with Saman Ghodos creating the chances. Their manager, Amir Ghalenoei, took charge in March 2023 and has played 11 games, winning nine and drawing twice whilst keeping 5 clean sheets. This included beating Hong Kong 4-0 and drawing with Uzbekistan 2-2 in 2026 World Cup qualifying.
A disappointing World Cup campaign saw them lose to England by 6-2, beat Wales in the dying moments of the game only to lose in the decisive match against the United States- their only loss in nearly 14 months of action. The minimum target for Iran should be to reach the semifinals of this competition but a likely meeting with arch rivals South Korea is likely to stand in their way.
United Arab Emirates:
Whilst many say that their golden generation is over, new manager Paulo Bento has the ability to get one final hurrah out of the UAE who reached the semifinals of the 2015 and 2019 editions. It is important to note that Bento’s stint with South Korea saw them get out of a World Cup group that contained Portugal, Uruguay, and Ghana before losing to Brazil 4-1 in the Round of 16.
Moreover, the start to life under Bento for the Emirates has been impressive- five wins out of five, including a 4-1 friendly thrashing of Costa Rica and a 6-0 aggregate score in their first two World Cup qualifying games against Nepal and Bahrain.
Their 31-men preliminary squad consists of solely domestically based players- many key players are on the wrong side of 30: Fábio Lima, Caio Canedo, Ali Mabkhout, and goalkeeper Khalid Eisa. The local league is ranked sixth best in Asia so the players should have the quality and experience to reach the quarterfinals of the competition.
Palestine:
Since 2022, the team played 10 official matches, winning four, drawing twice, and losing four. Ever since neutralizing the former Israel U21 captain Ataa Jaber, the team has been played better despite in spite of the results.
Palestine’s last game against Australia resulted in a 1-0 loss courtesy of a Harry Souttar header which seemed impossible to defend against.
Palestine defended well, progressed the ball expertly, and had chances but lacked the finishing touch. The team’s weakness was the left back position which was exploited until Camilo Saldaña stepped up and and impressed in the games against Lebanon and Australia.
The three centrebcaks who will fight for the starting line up are set: Michel Termanini, will line up next to Yaser Hamed- who plays in India, and Mohammed Saleh who is currently without a club but started the last two World Cup qualifiers and played well. In goal, Rami Hamadi has proven to be one of the best goalkeepers in Asia.
Musab Al-Battat captains the side and provides impressive crossing skills and defensive capabalities from the right back position. The midfield trio would be Ataa Jaber, currently playing in Azerbaijan, Mohammed Rashid of Bali United, and Muhammad Abu Warda, who will pull the strings as the most advanced midfielder.
The attack is subject to some debate but Oday Dabbagh (Charleroi RSC/Belgium) and Tamer Seyam (PT Prachaup/Thailand) are automatic starters. Mahmoud Eid, arguably the best player in the Thai league has been left at home alongside Swiss based striker Saleh Chihadeh.
The starting striker is still unknown- Zaid Qunbar started the last game but there is every chance that Mahmoud Wadi (Al-Mokawaloon/Egypt) or Shehab Qunbar could start some games.
This is the easiest group Palestine has had at an Asian Cup but it is by no means an easy group. Palestine will need to to play to its potential to achieve a second or third place finish to go through to the next round. Head Coach Makram Daboub knows how to utilize the players and will play a 4-3-3 with a holding midfielder, 4-2-3-1 with Abu Warda as the number 10, or a more defensive 3-4-3 shape which was somewhat effective in friendlies against Vietnam and China.
Oday Dabbagh needs to be on top of his game to help Palestine achieve its full potential. Moreover, the team will have to contend with the stress of the ongoing genocide in Gaza. Hopefully, Palestine can do what Iraq did in 2007 and win the Asian cup in the middle of the war- as farfetched as it seems.
Hong Kong
Hong Kong should be proud having improbably advanced to the Asian Cup finals for the first time since 1968. The islanders are the lowest ranked team in the tournament and are by consensus the weakest team in the field. They will be lucky to win a single point in this group.
Jørn Anderson took over in May of 2023 and has played 18 games and has recorded Nine losses, five wins (including a feisty 2-1 not so friendly victory over China), and four draws.
The squad called up only has 32 goals between 26 men in international games which shouts for lack of attacking quality. The entirety of the squad comes plies its trade in the local league with the exception of three players playing in Mainland China, Sean Tse (playing in the English seventh tier), and Michael Udebuluzor who plays in the German third tier.
This Asian Cup campaign will be a good experience for these players- especially for they youngsters who reached the Asian Games semifinal with the Olympic team. The Hong Kong Football Association recently naturalized a number of Brazilian and European players who gave up their original passports to obtain a Hong Kong Special Administrative Region passport. A Brazilian trio of Everton Camarga, Stefan Pereira, and Juninho headline the attack- their combined age is 100.
Predictions:
About the Author:
Taher Hijjaz is an 18 year old Palestinian from Tulkarem religiously following football in Europe and Asia, especially Palestinian football. He considers himself to be the next Abdullah Ashknani.
