(Reuters) – Statbox on Group E at the Asian Cup, which will be held in Qatar from Jan. 12 to Feb. 10:
South Korea
FIFA Ranking: 23
Best finish: Champions (1956, 1960)
Coach: Juergen Klinsmann (Germany)
Prospects: Perennial Asian representatives at World Cups, they are among the favourites with two Premier League calibre goal scorers leading the line — skipper Son Heung-min and Hwang Hee-chan — who have 22 league goals between them this season.
Combined with Paris St Germain playmaker Lee Kang-in and Bayern Munich defender Kim Min-jae, South Korea have European football pedigree and arrive in Qatar having not conceded a goal in their last six matches while scoring 20.
Bahrain
FIFA Ranking: 86
Best finish: Fourth place (2004)
Coach: Juan Antonio Pizzi (Spain)
Prospects: Bahrain’s ‘golden generation’ took the country to the Asian Cup semi-finals in 2004 but since then they have failed to recapture that same form in major tournaments.
The team improved under former coaches Miroslav Soukup, who nurtured emerging talent, and Helio Sousa, who oversaw a first Gulf Cup victory in 2019. Another trip to the knockout rounds is a distinct possibility for the improving Gulf nation.
Jordan
FIFA Ranking: 87
Best finish: Quarter-finals (2004, 2011)
Coach: Hussein Ammouta (Morocco)
Prospects: In coach Ammouta, Jordan have someone with vast experience of playing and coaching in Qatar’s top flight, but their results in the past few months do not inspire confidence.
They ended 2023 without winning in seven games, suffering six losses. However, they will be buoyed by a 2-1 come-from-behind victory over hosts and defending champions Qatar in a friendly last week – Ammouta’s first win as Jordan’s coach.
Malaysia
FIFA Ranking: 130
Best finish: Group stage (1976, 1980, 2007)
Coach: Kim Pan-gon (South Korea)
Prospects: Although Malaysia played in the 2007 Asian Cup as co-hosts, they have waited 44 years to actually qualify for the tournament and will be rank outsiders to progress to the knockouts.
But in coach Kim, they have the man who reshaped the South Korean team when he was the KFA’s vice-president. They will play with nothing to lose while they come into the tournament on the back of three wins in their last four games in 2023.
(Compiled by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
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