As the buildup to the AFC Asian Cup 2019 continues, FOX Sports Asia looks at each of the six groups in detail, starting with Group C which consists of China, Korea Republic, Kyrgyz Republic and Philippines.
TEAMS
China, Korea Republic, Kyrgyz Republic, Philippines
FIXTURES
January 7: China PR v Kyrgyz Republic (Sheikh Khalifa International Stadium, Al Ain – 3pm local time)
January 7: Korea Republic v Philippines (Al-Maktoum Stadium, Dubai – 5:30pm local time)
January 11: Philippines v China PR (Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi – 5:30pm local time)
January 11: Kyrgyzstan vs South Korea (Hazza bin Zayed Stadium, Al Ain – 8pm local time)
January 16: Kyrgyzstan vs Philippines (Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum Stadium, Dubai – 5.30pm local time)
January 16: Korea Republic v China PR (Al Nahyan Stadium, Abu Dhabi – 5:30pm local time)
PREVIEW
CHINA PR
FIFA World Ranking: 76
Asian Cup Appearances: 11
Asian Cup Qualification Second Round – Group C Runners-up with 5 wins, 2 draws and 1 loss
Last 5 games: Qatar (0-1), Bahrain (0-0), India (0-0), Syria (2-0), Palestine (1-1)
The Chinese team comes into the tournament at not its brilliant best and Marcello Lippi has his task cut out. This will be the Italian’s last assignment with the Chinese team and he would want to finish on a high.
SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Yan Junling (Shanghai SIPG), Guo Quanbo (Beijing Guoan), Wang Dalei (Shandong Luneng)
Defenders: Liu Yiming (Tianjin Quanjian), Yu Yang (Beijing Guoan), Shi Ke (Shanghai SIPG), Zhang Linpeng (Guangzhou Evergrande), Feng Xiaoting (Guangzhou Evergrande), Zhang Chengdong (Hebei China), Liu Yang (Shandong Luneng)
Midfielders: Zhao Xuri (Tianjin Quanjian), Zheng Zhi (Guangzhou Evergrande), Hao Junmin (Shandong Luneng), Chi Zhongguo (Beijing Guoan), Wu Xi (Jiangsu Suning), Jin Jingdao (Shandong Luneng), Yu Hanchao (Guangzhou Evergrande), Piao Cheng (Beijing Guoan)
Forwards: Wu Lei (Shanghai SIPG), Xiao Zhi (Guangzhou R&F), Wei Shihao (Beijing Guoan), Gao Lin (Guangzhou Evergrande), Yu Dabao (Beijing Guoan)
Key Player – Gao Lin
With 21 goals and over 100 caps for his country, Gao Lin will have to bring in all his experience to see the side through.
KOREA REPUBLIC
FIFA World Ranking: 53
Asian Cup Appearances: 13
Asian Cup Qualification Second Round – Group G Winners with 8 wins, 0 draws and 0 loss
Last 5 games: Uruguay (2-1), Panama (2-2), Australia (1-1), Uzbekistan (4-0), Saudi Arabia (0-0)
Widely regarded as probably the best side in Asian football, Korea Republic will come into the tournament with nothing but a title victory in sight. Remarkably, they haven’t won the continental showpiece after 1960.
SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Kim Seung-gyu (Vissel Kobe), Kim Jin-hyeon (Cerezo Osaka), Jo Hyeon-woo (Daegu FC)
Defenders: Jung Seung-hyun (Kashima Antlers), Kwon Kyung-won (Tianjin Quanjian), Kim Min-jae (Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors FC), Lee Yong (Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors FC), Kim Moon-hwan (Busan IPark), Hong Chul (Suwon Samsung Bluewings), Kim Jin-su (Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors FC), Kim Young-gwon (Guangzhou Evergrande)
Midfielders: Ki Sung-yueng (Newcastle United), Jung Woo-young (Al Sadd), Koo Ja-cheol (FC Augsburg), Hwang In-beom (Daejeon Citizen), Ju Se-jong (Asan Mugunghwa FC), Lee Jae-sung (Holstein Kiel), Hwang Hee-chan (Hamburger SV), Na Sang-ho (Gwangju FC), Lee Chung-yong (VfL Bochum), Son Heung-min (Tottenham Hotspur)
Forwards: Hwang Ui-jo (Gamba Osaka), Ji Dong-won (FC Augsburg)
Key Player – Lee Jae-sung
Lee Jae-sung was one of Korea’s best players at the FIFA World Cup and in Tottenham Hotspur forward Son Heung-min’s absence from the first two matches, Lee will have to do the majority of attacking work.
PHILIPPINES
FIFA World Ranking: 116
Asian Cup Appearances: 0
Asian Cup Qualification Third Round – Group F Winners with 3 wins, 3 draws and 0 loss
Last 5 games: Thailand (1-1), Indonesia (0-0), Vietnam (1-2), Vietnam (1-2), Vietnam (2-4)
Coming into the tournament as one of the debutants, Philippines can play without expectations and with a free mind. They recently made the AFF Suzuki Cup semifinal where they lost to eventual champions Vietnam.
SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Nathanael Villanueva (Kaya FC-Iloilo), Michael Falkesgaard (Bangkok United), Kevin Ray Hansen (Horsens)
Defenders: Alvaro Silva (Kedah), Carli de Murga (Ceres-Negros), Daisuke Sato (Sepsi Sfântu Gheorghe), Stephan Palla (Buriram United), Luke Woodland (Suphanburi), Adam Tull (NA), Curt Dizon (Ceres-Negros), Paul Mulders (Ceres-Negros)
Midfielders: John-Patrick Strauss (Erzgebirge Aue), Iain Ramsey (Sukhothai), Manuel Ott (Ceres-Negros), Kevin Ingreso (Ceres-Negros), Stephan Schrock (Ceres-Negros), Miguel Tanton (Ceres-Negros), James Younghusband (Davao Aguilas), Mike Ott (Ceres-Negros)
Forwards: Jovin Bedic (Kaya FC-Iloilo), Phil Younghusband (Davao Aguilas), Patrick Reichelt (Ceres-Negros), Javier Patino (Buriram United)
Key Player – Stephan Schrock
One of the most experienced players in the side having played around Europe in a glittering career, Schrock will have to lead the Azkals from the front when they take the field in Asian Cup.
KYRGYZ REPUBLIC
Like Philippines, this will be Kyrgyz Republic’s first appearance at the Asian Cup as well and they would want to enjoy the occasion to its fullest rather than get overwhelmed by it.
FIFA World Ranking: 91
Asian Cup Appearances: 0
Asian Cup Qualification Third Round – Group A Runners-up with 4 wins, 1 draws and 1 loss
Last 5 games: Palestine (1-1), Syria (2-1), Malaysia (1-0), Japan (0-4), Jordan (1-0)
SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Pavel Matyash (NA), Kutman Kadyrbekov (Dordoi Bishkek), Valery Kashuba (Dordoi Bishkek)
Defenders: Valery Kichin (Yenisey Krasnoyarsk), Tamirlan Kozubaev (Dordoi Bishkek), Mustafa Iusupov (Dordoi Bishkek), Aizar Akmatov (Alga Bishkek), Viktor Maier (SC Wiedenbrück), Daniel Tagoe (Chittagong Abahani)
Midfielders: Tursunali Rustamov (Alga Bishkek), Aziz Sydykov (Dordoi Bishkek), Edgar Bernhardt (GKS Tychy), Bekzhan Sagynbaev (Dordoi Bishkek), Odiljon Abdurakhmanov (FC Alay), Murolimzhon Akhmedov (Dordoi Bishkek), Kairat Zhyrgalbek Uulu (Dordoi Bishkek), Bakhtiyar Duyshobekov (Bashundhara Kings), Farhat Musabekov (Dordoi Bishkek), Anton Zemlianukhin (Ilbirs Bishkek), Akhlidin Israilov (NA)
Forwards: Mirlan Murzaev (Somaspor Kulübü), Ernist Batyrkanov (Dordoi Bishkek), Vitalij Lux (SSV Ulm)
Key Player – Bakhtiyar Duyshobekov
The defensive midfielder will have a considerable role to play in handling his side’s defences and making sure they make it hard for the opposition to score against them.
PREDICTIONS
With two debutants and two superpowers of Asian football in the group, this might just be one of the most straightforward groups in the tournament.
However, if one of Philippines and Kyrgyz Republic manage a draw against one of Korea and China and get three points from the fixture between them, they will increase their chances of qualifying as one of the best third-placed teams from the group stage.
First place: Korea Republic
Second place: China PR