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Ahead of the 2023 AFC Asian Cup Finals, Taher Hijjaz previewed all six groups and provided his predictions on how the action in Qatar will unfold.
Japan
Best team in Asia, best form in the world, and my pick (and should be your pick as well) to lift the Asian Cup.
The way they play and the results speaks volumes. Eight games since June of 2023 resulted in eight wins, Japan won a pair of World Cup qualifiers 10-0 on aggregate against Myanmar and Syria. Their six friendlies which saw Japan beat the likes of Turkey, Tunisia, and Germany. The aggregate score of the six friendly games was a whopping 20-5.
Their World Cup campaign should not be forgotten- The Blue Samurai beat Spain and Germany and only exited the tournament by virtue of a penalty kick shootout to eventual third place Croatia.
It should be noted however, that several star players suffered injuries and have question marks if they will return in time to make the team. Brighton winger Karou Mitoma will not travel to Qatar, center halves Junya Ito and Kou Itakura miss out as well. The depth Japan have is outstanding so the injuries should not proved to be a big issue. Most of thesquad ply their trade in Europe’s top leagues with only a smattering of players based in Japan, which is one of the stronger leagues in Asia.
Iraq
The best Gulf country right now based on form, better than Saudi Arabia in my opinion, and one that should be considered a dark horse in the tournament. 14 of their 26 players are based In Europe which shows the overall quality of the team. Zidane Iqbal will certainly be the one to watch despite only amassing four caps for Iraq. The team’s attacking power cannot be ignored as their three forwards accounting for 38 goals in their 109 caps for the 2007 Asian Cup Champions.
Since Spaniard Jesús Casas took over the post 13 months ago, Iraq have won the Gulf Cup and also added a minor piece of silverware by winning the King’s Cup in Thailand this past October. The Lions of Mesopotamia have started the World Cup qualifying campaign with two wins and an aggregate score of 6:1 against Indonesia and Vietnam.
Experience will also help them with the likes of defender Ali Adnan and GK Jalal Hassan who bringing 165 caps of international experience to the tournament. Getting out of the group is a must and reaching the quarter finals is a very realistic target- even if it means crossing paths with Korea Republic in the Round of 16.
Vietnam
Vietnam has started life under new manager Phillipe Troussier well. The Vietnamese have played eight games, winning four and losing four. As expected, the teams they lost to all have a better ranking than them and the teams they beat all have a worse ranking than Vietnam. Base on that fact they might struggle in Group D.
Vietnam lost to Iraq in World Cup qualification, and Japan are clear favorites to win the group and the tournament. A path to the knockout round relies on their ability to get maximum points against Indonesia.
The 34-men preliminary squad is based entirely in Vietnam- whose league is ranked 14th in Asia. Interestingly enough, only three (two goalkeepers) out of the 26 players are above the age of 30 which shows that the team has yet to reach their prime. We can expect more from them in the coming years even if they falter at the group stage. A spat of injuries means Goalkeeper Dang Van Lam, captain Que Ngoc Hai, and top scorer Nguyen Tien Linh will miss this year’s tournament.
Indonesia
Indonesia can certainly beat teams around their level or those worse than them. The Asian Cup is a different beast. This isn’t the AFF Championship, this is a tournament featuring the continent’s best teams.
Indonesia, like Hong Kong, are somewhat fortunate to be here. Perhaps if qualifying was played over six games they might have been pipped to the post by Kuwait. A football hotbed that has not featured a the Asian Cup since co-hosting in 2007 Tim Garuda should be happy if they can get a point out of a difficult group.
The most capped player is 22-year-old Pratama Arhan with 37 caps. Six players in the side play in Belgium, England, and Netherlands but the squad remains a work in progress. The national team is recovering from a long international suspension which cost them the entirety of the 2018/19 cycle.
Time will tell if Indonesia returns to form- this was a team that qualified for every continental showpiece from 1996 to 2007 before falling on hard times. Indonesia are building for the future and a whopping 17 players in the squad are 25 years old or younger. Only two players are over the age of 30- Marc Klok and Jordi Amat both of whom will be relied upon to shore up the midfield and defence.
On the pitch, Indonesia’s most impressive results were drawing against Palestine and narrowly losing to Argentina 2-0 in a pair of friendlies in June of 2023. Their World Cup qualifiers saw Tim Garuda lose to Iraq 5-1, who are in their group at the Asian Cup, and draw to the Philippines 1-1.
Shin Tae-yong, the former South Korea manager who beat Germany in a historic 2-0 win atthe 2018 World Cup, will have a huge impact on his players. His game plan will go a long way in guiding this young team against Asian giants Japan and Iraq.
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.
