Australia vs. India (Saturday, 11.30am)
© Reuters
Two nations that have built up a healthy rivalry in cricket will square off on the football pitch in Al Rayyan this weekend, as Australia open their Asian Cup campaign against India on Saturday at Ahmed bin Ali Stadium.
It will be the fifth successive appearance for the Socceroos at this tournament after topping their second-round Asian qualification group with a 100% record, while India qualified for a second consecutive time, winning all three of their third-round fixtures.
We say: Australia 2-0 India
Stimac seems unconcerned about how India will fare at this tournament, reportedly consulting an astrologer on team selections.
The Aussies, meanwhile, have been laser-focused lately, and their overall balance across the pitch should propel them to a comfortable opening victory.
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China vs. Tajikistan (Saturday, 2.30pm)
© Reuters
Making their Asian Cup debut, Tajikistan will take on China in Group A action at the Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium in Qatar on Saturday.
The Chinese punched their ticket into this tournament by finishing second in their second-round qualifying group behind Syria, while the Crowns topped their third-round qualification group to advance into this competition for the first time.
We say: China 1-1 Tajikistan
The current FIFA rankings suggest this will be a mismatch, but Tajikistan have a well-balanced side who are in great form, while overall boasting some decent quality in the attacking third, as seen in their 6-1 shellacking of Pakistan last November.
China, meanwhile, are entering this competition in poor form, with Lei having to shoulder the scoring load, and we believe they could get frustrated by this young, upstart Tajiki squad.
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Uzbekistan vs. Syria (Saturday, 5.30pm)
© Reuters
The first round of matches in Group B of the AFC Asian Cup will conclude with Uzbekistan taking on Syria at Jassim bin Hamad Stadium in Al Rayyan on Saturday.
In addition to these two sides, Group B also features Australia, who are heavily fancied to top the group, and India, who are the ranked underdogs heading into the first round of matches.
We say: Uzbekistan 1-0 Syria
Uzbekistan come into this competition carrying excellent momentum and will know that they need to be on their game right from the outset, as this match could decide which of these sides will join Australia in the knockout stages via automatic qualification. We are expecting a close contest but fancy The White Wolves to clinch an opening match victory.
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Barney Corkhill
