The Indonesian team will face tough opponents at the 2023 Asian Cup finals in Qatar not only because Shin Tae-yong and his team have a worse FIFA ranking than Vietnam, Iraq and Japan.
The 2023 Asian Cup will be held from January 12 to February 10. The draw results placed the Indonesian team in Group D with the giants. Bola newspaper emphasized the team’s three opponents Indonesia (ranked 145th in the world) are strong candidates. Japan (ranked 17th), Iraq (ranked 63rd) and Vietnam (ranked 94th) are big walls blocking their dream of going deep.
The Indonesian press reminded Mr. Shin and his team not to bother worrying about reaching the finals, just getting past the group stage will not be easy. Among them, Japan, Iraq and Vietnam have many star players who can make the Indonesian team feel at a loss.
First, the Vietnamese team was really unlucky in the 2023 Asian Cup when 10 core players were injured and could not register. However, this does not mean that Vietnam’s strength is weakening. The team that reached the top 8 of the 2019 Asian Cup still possesses a team of quality players.
The name that makes an impression is Nguyen Quang Hai. This player is known as the Lionel Messi of Southeast Asia, although this nickname is not only given to the 26-year-old player. Next is experienced player Nguyen Van Toan. The striker, who has played for Vietnam 57 times, has repeatedly caused disasters for Indonesia. The “matching double swords” of Van Toan and Quang Hai are expected to cause trouble for the Indonesian defense.
Meanwhile, the Japanese team deserves to be the strongest team in Group D, and is even among the candidates to win the 2023 Asian Cup. Mr. Moriyasu has many players who have become famous in Europe, and the team has a special This Green Samurai also achieved many impressive achievements.
The Japanese squad is a perfect combination of 20 players playing abroad with six outstanding domestic players. Bola highly appreciates the two players who will play an important role for coach Hajime Moriyasu’s team.
Captain Endo is the bright star of the Japanese team. Photo: AP.
That’s Wataru Endo. The Liverpool midfielder, as Japan captain, will play an important role in the midfield. Next is Ritsu Doan, SC Freiburg’s charming striker. He may not be as famous as Kaoru Mitoma or Takumi Minamino, but this 25-year-old player is a dangerous character whenever he is in the penalty area.
For Iraq, Indonesia used to be important when it was the host of the 2007 Asian Cup, helping them win the title. The Mesopotamian Lions have always proved to be a very difficult team to play against any opponent.
Knowing they would have to face two Southeast Asian teams, Indonesia and Vietnam, the Iraqi team tested themselves by winning the King’s Cup tournament in Thailand last September. In November, the Iraqi team continued to defeat away team Indonesia 5-1 and beat host Vietnam 1-0 in the second qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup.
Young midfielder Zidane Iqbal is expected to shine in the Iraqi shirt at the 2023 Asian Cup finals. Photo: AP.
Iraq also has many players playing abroad, especially in Europe. A familiar name is Zidane Iqbal, a 20-year-old midfielder who played for Manchester United and is currently playing for FC Utrecht.
Equally interesting is Ali Al-Hamadi, a 21-year-old young striker who is already familiar with English football, because when he was just 1 year old, he and his parents moved to Liverpool city because of the war in his homeland. .