Crunch time in Asia

FIFA - The race to the AFC Asian Cup 2007 finals reaches a critical stage on Wednesday as the continental contenders battle for the seven remaining coveted places in the penultimate round of the qualifying competition.

Five teams, namely Australia, Saudi Arabia, Japan, Qatar and United Arab Emirates, have already booked their place at Asia's showpiece event, joining co-hosts Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam in the last 16, but the pressure remains unchanged for those still chasing victories in the final two rounds of qualifiers.

Korea Republic and Iran the favourites
While the two matches in Group A become academic with Saudi Arabia and Japan in unassailable positions in the top two slots, in Group B Korea Republic and Iran look to be strongly positioned to advance.

Undefeated group leaders Korea Republic are certainly brimming with confidence as they head into their return meeting with Syria, knowing that a draw will be enough see them through. The two-time winners will, however, have to make do without striking duo Ahn Jung-Hwan and Park Chu-Young, not to mention key midfielders Lee Chun-Soo and Park Ji-Sung.

However, they remain a formidable proposition for Syria, particularly with English-based Seol Ki-Hyeon back to his impressive best. Seol scored a brace in the team's previous 8-0 drubbing of Chinese Taipei and in the recent round of English Premier League action, he claimed the only goal as his newly-promoted club Reading defeated West Ham United.

Nevertheless, Syria have proved they are not in this competition just to make up the numbers, having bravely held Iran to a 1-1 draw in the third round. With their qualifying hopes now hanging by a thread, they also know that they have no option but to chase all three points and will be boosted by the exploits of domestic club side Al Karama, who surprised everyone by eliminating reigning champions Al Ittihad in AFC Championship League quarter-final clashes.

The task of qualifying looks more straightforward for Iran. Trailing two points behind Korea Republic, they need a victory to progress, but few will doubt their chances of securing the necessary result against group minnows Chinese Taipei.

In Group C, Oman will become the second team to progress should they defeat leaders UAE on home soil in Muscat. In the other match in this section, 2004 AFC Asian Cup quarter-finalists Jordan will count not only on claiming three points against Pakistan, but also on UAE beating Oman to keep their slim hopes alive.

In Group D, the second qualifying spot behind Australia will not be decided until November, when Bahrain host Kuwait in the final match. Bahrain are currently three points behind Kuwait and to make their task a little easier in the Kuwait showdown, they will hope to take at least a share of the spoils from their match against the Socceroos. 

Too close to call in Group E
Group E is currently the trickiest to predict, with Iraq and China jointly-leading on seven points each, but with Singapore and Palestine on four and still in with a realistic chance of qualifying.

China, 2004 Asian Cup runners-up, disappointed as they were held to a scoreless draw in Singapore in September and their difficulties were not eased by the fact that two key players, captain Li Weifeng and midfielder Shao Jiayi, picked up red cards and resultant suspensions. Having decided that a strict style of management was the key to rebuild the team's morale, the China Football Association launched a disciplinary campaign that included dropping Li for all remaining international matches this season.

Keeping in mind that the team just can't afford any further slips-up against Palestine in Amman, coach Zhu Guanghu' side will be hoping for nothing less than a straightforward victory to book their spot. Otherwise, they will have to battle it out against Iraq in the final match in November. To achieve that, Zhu has further strengthened his frontline with two newly recruited forwards, Mao Jianqing and Zhu Ting, while midfield maestro Zheng Zhi is back from suspension and will be joined by Wang Dong in launching attacks from the middle of the park.

In the group's other match, Iraq will be looking to complete the job of qualifying against Singapore, and also claim revenge for a stunning 2-0 defeat in the opening match in February.

In Group F, the second spot behind Qatar will be contested by Uzbekistan or Hong Kong. The latter side shocked the central Asians by claiming back-to-back draws, but on Wednesday they will face a stiff test against Qatar, while Uzbekistan will expect to win comfortably against Bangladesh, who sit bottom of the table without a point to their name.

Match Day 5 fixtures
Wednesday 11 October

Group A:
India - Japan       
Saudi Arabia - Yemen

Group B:
Chinese Taipei - Iran
Korea Republic - Syria

Group C:
Pakistan - Jordan
Oman - UAE

Group D:
Australia - Bahrain

Group E:
Palestine - China
Iraq - Singapore

Group F:
Qatar - Hong Kong
Bangladesh - Uzbekistan