Asia’s five representatives to Russia in 2018 will play for the second time as the third round of qualifying for Qatar 2022 on the continent begins on Thursday.
Japan, Australia, Iran (IR) and the Republic of Korea want to maintain their form of victory, but Saudi Arabia faces a disappointing 2-2 draw against Yemen when playing against Singapore.
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🇶🇦 #Qatar's 26-member squad for the upcoming matches against 🇧🇩 Bangladesh and 🇴🇲 Oman in the joint qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup 2022 & AFC Asian Cup 2023#WeAreQatar #RoadToChina pic.twitter.com/e8Kz3zbr0k
— Qatar Football Association 🇶🇦 (@QFA_EN) October 5, 2019
Match Day 3 Fixtures | Thursday 10 October 2019 | 8 Groups & 32 Teams
Group A
Syria vs Maldives | China PR vs Guam
Group B
Australia vs Nepal | Jordan vs Kuwait
Group C
IR Iran vs Cambodia | Iraq vs Hong Kong
Group D
Saudi Arabia vs Singapore | Uzbekistan vs Yemen
Group E
Oman vs Afghanistan | Bangladesh vs Qatar
Group F
Japan vs Mongolia | Kyrgyz Republic vs Myanmar
Group G
United Arab Emirates vs Indonesia | Vietnam vs Malaysia
Group H
Lebanon vs Turkmenistan | Korea Republic vs Sri Lanka
All Group Conditions and Sitations
In Group A, Marcello Lippi in the People’s Republic of China welcomes Guam, who is aiming for a second victory, but he has to watch out for Karl Dodd’s visitors who have achieved impressive wins against India and Turkmenistan on their way to Russia in 2018 Entertain the Maldives in Dubai hoping to continue their winning form.
Australia receives Nepal from Group B and is confident that it will be able to build on its proud home record. The only home defeat for the Socceroos since 1981 was a 1-0 defeat by China in 2008, when the qualification was over. Jordan has Kuwait and hopes to get a better result than the 1-1 draw at the WAFF championship of the two teams a few months ago.
In Group C, a second win is firmly in the hands of IR Iran, as Cambodia hosts, despite star striker Alireza Jahanbakhsh being missed. Coach Marc Wilmots does not lack firepower with the Ass strikers Sardar Azmoun and Mehdi Taremi. Iraq welcomes Hong Kong in the other game of the group. The hosts are determined to get back on track with a 1-1 draw with Bahrain in the inaugural round.
In Group D, both Saudi Arabia and Uzbekistan will start in hopes of rebuilding their campaign with victories against Singapore and Yemen respectively. The West Asians can rely on their unbeaten record, while the Central Asians under the reigned chief Vadim Abramov are confident they will extend their superior record after having won all four World Cup qualifiers against Yemenis.
On paper, it looks like a one-sided contest, considering that the Group E leader is 125 places ahead of Bangladesh in the FIFA / Coca-Cola World Ranking. And their head-to-head record adds even more weight to Qatar’s fondness for the 2022 FIFA World Cup ™ with two wins and one draw in their last three games, all of which were played in the AFC Asian Cup qualifiers. But Felix Sánchez’s charges received a wake-up call in their last game when they only managed a goalless draw at home to India and ended their campaign qualifying for the Asian Cup.
Despite being defeated by a solo goal in the opening match against Afghanistan, Jamie Days Bangladesh wants to prove to home fans. Of course, few questions Katar’s status as the undisputed favorite after his spectacular form secured a first Asian Cup in January.
In the other game of the section, Oman meets Afghanistan. Both teams are currently with three points in second place and want to prevail with a clear victory.
In Group F, coach Hajime Moriyasu has selected a Japan squad consisting largely of European stars to win a second consecutive victory against Mongolia in their own country. In the other match, the hosts try to get Kyrgyzstan and Myanmar to their first points.
Group G tail Indonesia is traveling to the United Arab Emirates to stay in touch with the rest of the group after suffering two defeats at home. Bert van Marwijk’s team, however, can look back on a strong home form, including three wins and a draw under local conditions during the 2018 Russia season. A pair of old opponents will again face hosts Vietnam and Malaysia in the other match, hoping to win to get back on track for victory.
The Republic of Korea Group H favorites has Sri Lanka’s sights set on three points, while senseless Lebanon has Turkmenistan, who are rekindling their hopes with a home win.
Who is waiting?
Iraq fans will end their long wait for a game on home soil when they finally host a World Cup qualifier and welcome Hong Kong at Basra International Stadium. The last international match in Iraq took place in 2011, when they defeated Yemen 2-0 on their way to Brazil 2014.
