AFC Asian Cup, Group B preview: Holders Australia look for repeat, Syria firm challengers

Defending champions Australia will know that Group B is anything but straight-forward for them.

Having won the title on home soil four years ago, the Socceroos will be hoping for a repeat in the United Arab Emirates and will certainly be among the favourites to lift the trophy. Joining them in the group will be Syria, who shocked one and all with their run to the final round of World Cup qualification, just missing out on a ticket to Russia 2018.

Palestine and Jordan will be no push-overs either as both possess the quality to upset the mathematics of this group.

Australia

Having joined the Asian Football Confederation after the 2006 World Cup, Australia have wasted no time in establishing themselves as one of the powerhouses in the continent.

Their maiden Asian Cup triumph, came in front of a home crowd in 2015 and coach Graham Arnold will expect more fire-works from his Socceroos this time around. The holders though are a team in transition and have lost many of their old guard, including top scorer in qualification, the corner flag-battering Tim Cahill, who has bagged eight goals.

Losing Aaron Mooy on the eve of the tournament will be a big loss, as will the retirement of the winning captain from 2015, Mile Jedinak. Arnold will be counting on the experience of Tom Rogic, Mathew Leckie, Mark Milligan and Mat Ryan to pull them through.

Last five matches: Oman (5-0), Lebanon (3-0), South Korea (1-1), Kuwait (4-0), Hungary (2-1)

Syria

War-torn Syria will have a chance to prove that their exploits in World Cup qualifying were no fluke. They need not look far for inspiration, than Iraq’s triumph of 2007 that united an entire nation.

The Qasioun Eagles lost the World Cup play-off 3-2 to Australia, a narrow loss inflicted by the now retired-Cahill’s two goals and they’ve been reunited with the Socceroos in Group B. Captain Omar Al Somah will look to score the goals with help from Omar Khirbin. Coach Bernd Strange has managed West Asian teams in Oman and Iraq before, and this will possibly be the final assignment for the 70-year-old.

Last five matches: Yemen (1-0), Kuwait (2-1), Oman (1-1), China (0-2), Bahrain (1-0)

Palestine

Palestine are new to this stage and will hope to better their performance from 2015, but can take heart from their qualifying campaign.

The Lions of Canaan finished level on points with Oman in their qualifying group, only losing out on head-to-head count. A 1-1 draw with Iran and a narrow loss to Iraq show that Palestine can compete at this level. Captain Abdelatif Bahdari with 89 caps, is one of the most experienced players at this tournament.

Last five matches: Iraq (0-1), Iran (1-1), China (1-2), Tajikistan (0-0)

Jordan

Jordan certainly add to this group’s flavour, having reached the quarter-finals in two of their last three Asian Cup appearances.

An-Nashama (The Chivalrous) have certainly faced some tough opponents in the run-up to the Asian Cup, including Croatia, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and China. The West Asians also faced India in November, defeating them 2-1. Coach Vital Borkelmans has one of the most experienced squads in the tournament at his disposal, with the ever-green Amer Shafi as captain and number one keeper.

Last five matches: China (1-1), Qatar (0-2), Kyrgyz Republic (0-1), Saudi Arabia (1-1), India (2-1)