Asian Cup: Group B preview
Group B favorites Jordan and Japan are in a great position to qualify for the knockout stages of the Asian cup. Having accumulated 4 points, both sides just need to avoid a defeat to progress to the next stage.
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Saudi-Arabia-c3000, who have already been knocked out of the tournament after back-to-back defeats at the hands of Syria and Jordon, will take on Japan, while Jordan faces Syria.
Syria still have a chance of qualifying for the knockout stages of the Asia Cup if they are able to beat Jordan. However, a draw will see Jordan going through, given that the Saudis beat the Japanese in the group’s other match.
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Daisuke-Matsui-c9731, the combative midfielder who has proved to be quite an asset in this tournament, is out for this match, while
an ankle injury might force star midfielder, http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Keisuke-Honda-c20516 to start from the bench.
Meanwhile, Borussia Dortmund's http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Shinji-Kagawa-c33364 and Honda are yet to hit top gear in this tournament, but it is expected that the duo will be back to full form and fitness once the knockout phase starts.
The pressure to deliver is huge on the Japanese side, as a first round exit will definitely be a disastrous result for such a talented side. On the other hand, Jordan and Syria will be under less pressure as both teams have really exceeded expectations by
defeating the Saudis, who were considered the favorites to progress to the next round along with Japan.
Jordan will have to play the remainder of the tournament without their captain, http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Hatem-Aqel-c15882, after the midfielder suffered a knee injury. Another injury worry is of Anas Bani-Yaseen, who is also a crucial asset for the final group match.
Syria, on the other hand, will be without the services of the talismanic http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Firas-Al-Khatib-c13791 and, despite a broken nose, it is expected that Abulkader Deka will take his place.
So far in the tournament, the Japanese side has been lacking fluidity and seems to be hardly a shadow of the team that took everyone by surprise in the World Cup in http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/South-Africa-c757. The Japanese side is yet to hit top gear, and this might be the match that
could decide their tournament aspirations.
A rout might be on the cards as the Saudi side is low on confidence and Japan would be looking to go to the knockout phase of the competition with something they can hope to build momentum upon. However, the match of http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Jordan-c2929 is expected to be a
much more closely fought affair.
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