In the key moment of preparation for the Asian Cup, head coach Jankovic with the national football team in the United Arab Emirates launched an intense training, and is about to usher in a number of warm-up matches. At the same time, closely watching the Asian Cup trend of the media also exposed the preparation of the national football opponents dynamic.
Soccer Daily disclosed that Qatar, a powerful enemy of the national football team, has released its lineup for the Asian Cup preparations. The team is dominated by veterans, with players over the age of 30 occupying 11 seats, while there are only four young players under the age of 23. The overall framework clearly retains the World Cup lineup.
It is interesting to note that Qatar changed coaches just a month before the opening of the Asian Cup, with Marques taking over from Queiroz. Despite Marques' lack of national team coaching experience, this may be a potential boon for the national soccer team.
In terms of rankings, Qatar is at the top, followed by the national soccer team. The two teams will be the top contenders in the group stage. It is worth mentioning that the national soccer team was lucky to avoid strong opponents such as Japan, South Korea, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Australia in the group draw, which undoubtedly increases the hope of competing for the first place in the group.
Compared to the Qatar that won the title four years ago, this team today has slipped significantly and is no longer a top Asian powerhouse. This change is evident in the gradual aging trend of its squad.
It's worth noting that the national football team is unbeaten in its last three matches against Qatar, including the 2016 preliminaries. The national soccer team drew 0-0 away to Qatar, followed by a 2-0 home win, and then in the 2017 preliminaries, the national soccer team beat Qatar 2-1 away.
Facing strong teams like Japan and South Korea, the national soccer team still has a way to win. As long as they suppress their opponents on the offensive end, they are expected to come out on top in the group stage.
A total of 24 teams are participating in the Asian Cup, divided into six groups of four teams each. The top two teams in the group and the third best finishers in each of the four groups totaling 16 teams advance to the knockout rounds. If the national soccer team wants to avoid strong teams such as Japan and South Korea, Iran, South Korea, Saudi Arabia and Australia in the round of 16, it must finish first in the group stage in order to meet weaker opponents early and lay the foundation for advancing to the top 8.
As the head coach, Jankovic is leading the national soccer team to make full preparation for the Asian Cup. A successful run to the last eight will not only solidify Jankovic's coaching position, but will also greatly boost the national soccer team's confidence for the World Cup. Less than two months after the end of the Asian Cup, the Preliminary Round 36 will be reopened and the national soccer team will face Singapore. The result will have a direct bearing on the prospects of qualifying for the group.
