Asia’s biggest football tournament kicks off tonight as the Socceroos begin their campaign against Kuwait at the Melbourne Rectangular Stadium.
Australia are one of the favourites, with coach Ange Postecoglou and his squad under pressure to deliver the nation’s first piece of major international silverware.
Home support will be important for the Socceroos, with a sea of green and gold optimism set to flood host cities Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane.
International sports tournaments are synonymous with host-nation success stories, including England’s 1966 World Cup victory, the United States’ Ice Hockey success against the Soviet Union in the at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, and the Springbocks’ triumph over the All Backs in the 1995 Rugby World Cup in post-apartheid South Africa.
Asian Cup host nations also generally perform more successfully at home – 6 out of 16 hosts have won the tournament, and 10 have reached the semi finals or better.
While this is the Socceroos’ chance to prove their critics wrong and win a prestigious international trophy for the first time in their history, 15 other sides will be looking to deny them the chance to do so.
Group A: Australia, South Korea, Oman, Kuwait
Although Postecoglou has been applauded for his efforts in rejuvenating the squad and producing admirable performances in the World Cup, statistics don’t lie and Australia has only won twice in twelve attempts since the former Melbourne Victory manager took over the reins from Holger Osieck in October 2013.
Defensive issues have dominated the Postecoglou’s era, with 22 goals conceded by the side in the past 14 months.
At the other end, the side’s over-reliance on veteran Tim Cahill – who has netted 8 of the Socceroos’ 12 goals during Postecoglou’s tenure – has become predictable, with the likes of Mathew Leckie, Robbie Kruse, Tomi Juric and the in-form Nathan Burns needing to provide an alternate route on goal to help the host nation progress into the latter stages of the competition.
The most serious threat posed to Australia in Group A is two-time Asian Cup champions South Korea, hoping to restore pride to the national team after a disappointing World Cup.
New head coach, German Uli Stielike, will look to the likes of Bayer Leverkusen’s Son Heung-Min and Swansea City midfielder Ki Seung-Yung to lead the Taegeuk Warriors to at least the semi-finals, however they will need to resolve some of their defensive frailties which have plagued the side in recent years in order to win the tournament.
Oman – whose most recent clash against Australia in March 2013 ended in a 2-2 draw in a World Cup qualifier in Sydney – could pose both the Socceroos and South Korea some trouble, with former Lyon and PSG manager Paul Le Guen leading the side since 2011 and overseeing a vast improvement in results and playing standard.
Wigan Athletic goalkeeper Ali Al-Habsi is the side’s captain, while striker Amad Al-Hosni will look to add to his impressive international tally of 36 goals.
1980 Asian Cup Champions Kuwait are currently in turmoil, having recently sacked coach Jorvan Vieira, and are vulnerable at the back after some less than impressive recent results.
Veteran striker Bader Al-Mutawa is one of the region’s top forwards while captain Nawaf Al-Khaldi will certainly be kept busy in goals.
Group B: Uzbekistan, Saudi Arabia, China, North Korea
Group B is perhaps the most evenly shaped group on paper, with 2011 semi-finals Uzbekistan favourites to finish top of the group.
While record goalscorer Maksim Shatskikh retired from international football in 2014, playmaker Server Djeparov and the impressive Odil Ahmedov will look to lead the Central Asian nation deep into the tournament.
Three-time tournament winners Saudi Arabia have been in decline since reaching the final in 2007, suffering a disastrous 2011 campaign (three straight defeats), and will hope to restore their reputation as continental heavyweights in 2015.
All eyes will be on controversial Al Hilal striker and current Asian Player of the Year Nasser Al-Shamrani, while veteran defender and captain Osama Hawsawi will need to be at his best to marshall a sometimes leaky defence.
2004 finalists China come to Australia under the stewardship of Frenchman Alain Perrin, former Ligue 1 winning manager with Lyon.
The entire squad is based domestically, with Guangzhuo Evergrande defender Zhang Linpeng, former Schalke midfielder Hao Junmin, veteran Zheng Zhi, and exciting youngster Wu Lei the nation’s key men.
The mysterious North Koreans complete the group, with not much known about the team representing the secretive Communist state.
Historically strong in defence, players to watch out for include veteran Vegalta Sendai midfielder Ryang Yong-gi and Swiss-based striker Pak Kwang-ryong, with South Korean based star player Jong Tae-Se surprisingly left out of the squad.
Group C: Iran, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain
Branded a Group of Death, Group C is spearheaded by three time Asian Champions Iran, who are searching for their first continental crown since 1976.
Former Real Madrid and Portugal manager Carlos Queiroz is still at the helm following a tough World Cup, and will be looking to silence the critics who dismiss his side as a defensive, counter-attacking outfit.
Boasting considerable talent including Captain Javad Nekounam, Bundesliga winner Ashkan Dejagah, and marksman Reza Ghoochannejhad, Team Melli will look to put poor preparations behind them en route to a successful Cup.
Gulf giants United Arab Emirates have underperformed in recent Asian Cups (knocked out in three consecutive group stages) but are coming into 2015 on the back of some encouraging results.
Coach Mahdi Ali has been in charge since 2012 after leading UAE to the London Olympics, while striker Ahmed Khalil and star man Omar Abdulrahman are the team’s men to watch.
Qatar are arguably the most in-form side heading into the tournament, with Djamel Belmadi’s side losing only one game in 2014 and beating the Socceroos in Doha in October.
2006 Asian Player of the Year Khalfan Ibrahim is the team’s captain, with much of the responsibility set to rest on his shoulders, while veteran defender Bilal Mohammed is a composing presence at the back for a side many tip to be the competition’s surprise-packets.
Completing the group’s Gulf flavour are 2004 semi-finalists Bahrain, who come to the tournament on the back of a disappointing Gulf Cup which claimed respected Iraqi coach Adnan Hamad’s job.
Former assistant Marjan Eid is the new man in charge, and he will likely turn to Nigerian-born striker Jaycee John to lead the line and veteran captain Mohamed Husain for guidance at the back, in what could be a difficult tournament for the Reds, who are least fancied to progress from Group C.
Group D: Japan, Jordan, Iraq, Palestine
Group D is headlined by tournament favourites Japan, whose Mexican coach Javier Aguirre is facing match-fixing allegations regarding his time at Real Zaragoza in La Liga.
Seeking a fifth Asian Cup crown, Japan is loaded with superstar players. Attacker Keisuke Honda has impressed for Milan this season, while Shinji Kagawa has been disappointing on his return to Borussia Dortmund from Manchester United.
Other players to look out for are Mainz striker Shinji Okazaki, Inter Milan left-back Yuto Nagatomo, and Southampton defender Maya Yoshida.
Jordan will be looking to better their two quarter finals finishes in as many Asian Cup appearances (2004 and 2011), with Manchester United player and Chelsea assistant coach Ray Wilkins in charge of the side that impressed in the 2014 World Cup qualifiers.
However, their recent form has been poor, with the Jordanians winless in their past nine matches. They will look to the likes of striker Abdallah Deeb and defender Anas Bani Yaseen to turn their form around this month.
2007 Champions Iraq come into the tournament confident they can turn their form around and mount a genuine tilt at Asia’s prized crown.
Inspirational captain Younis Mahmoud still leads the Lions of Mesopotamia, while Turkish-based defender Ali Adnan, Swindown Town midfielder Yaser Kasim and 18 year-old whiz kid Humam Tariq are all players to keep an eye out on for in a side that can unite a divided nation.
Arguably the fairytale story of the competition, Palestine mark their first appearance in the Asian Cup after qualifying by winning the 2014 AFC Challenge Cup.
Former national team defender Saeb Jendeya is the side’s recently appointed coach, with former Swedish youth international forward Mahmoud Eid, Slovenian born and based Jaka Ihbeisheh, and the hero of the Challenge Cup final Abdelhamid Abuhabib names to keep track of throughout the tournament.
The Palestinians will not only be seeking footballing credibility, but will also hope to promote the Palestinian cause and dreams of statehood during their time in Australia, with their match against Jordan an intriguing match-up considering the latter’s large Palestinian population.
The coming three weeks will not only offer an interesting insight into the Socceroos’ progress under Ange Postecoglou, but also the quality of Asian football following a disappointing World Cup, with many nations hoping to either make their mark on the tournament or reinstate their status as historical regional powerhouses.
Corner Flag Prediction
Group A: Australia, South Korea, Oman, Kuwait
Group B: Uzbekistan, China, Saudi Arabia, North Korea
Group C: Iran, Qatar, UAE, Bahrain
Group D: Japan, Iraq, Jordan, Palestine
Quarter Finals: Australia to beat China, South Korea to edge Uzbekistan, Iran to be victorious over neighbours Iraq and Japan to dismiss of the threat of Qatar
Semi Finals: Australia to triumph over Iran, Japan to end South Korea’s campaign
Final: It will be tight, but the Socceroos to prove the doubters wrong and avenge their 2011 defeat