14 months on from the World Cup™, Asia's 4 participants at South Africa 2010 - Australia, Korea Republic, Japan and Korea DPR – are once again setting out on the road to football’s global showpiece in their continent's 3rd round of Brazil 2014 qualifiers.
Having received a bye to this stage, the giant quartet will be keen to demonstrate their credentials with triumphs, while the likes of China PR, Iraq, UAE and Kuwait - each boasting a World Cup appearance apiece – will also be eyeing a bright begin. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia, now under the guidance of Frank Rijkaard, are hoping to brush aside their qualifying failure 4 years ago against Oman, and the same can be told of Iran, who have set their sights firmly on taking maximum points against visiting Indonesia. Join FIFA.com as we preview the enticing match-ups set to be served up.
The match
Japan-Korea DPR
The only fixture that features 2 South Africa 2010 participants, this meeting in Saitama is sure to dominate attention. Under Zaccheroni, Japan have developed an air of indomitability over the past year, conquering all in January's AFC Asian Cup for their 4th continental title, before running out 3-0 victors over Korea Republic in a late friendly.
The North Koreans, for their part, travel to Japan in less convincing form, having lost 2-0 to China and drawn 0-0 with Kuwait in recent friendlies. With a defensive approach the most likely tactic from the visitors, their VfL Bochum striker Jong Tae-Se is expected to shoulder the goalscoring burden, and Japan will be wary of a player who scored 10 goals in his debut season in Germany.
Boasting an unbeaten record from 7 meetings over the past two decades, Japan go into the match with a clear psychological advantage. However, with injured talisman Keisuke Honda and Kengo Nakamura both missing, Zaccheroni’s side will need to hit top form if they're to avoid a difficult evening against their never-say-die opponents.
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Asian goliaths eye opening succeeds
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