World Cup qualifiers Japan and Australia plan to secure their places at the 2011 Asian Cup finals on Wednesday as the scrap to make the grade enters a crucial phase
World Cup qualifiers Japan and Australia plan to secure their places at the 2011 Asian Cup finals on Wednesday as the scrap to make the grade enters a crucial phase.
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Japan will make if through if they pick up a point against Yemen in Sana'a, a match that was under threat of being called off following the attempted bombing on Christmas Day of a US-bound airliner.
Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, the group's Yemen-based arm, claimed responsibility for the attack.
Japan decided to go ahead with the game and coach Takashi Okada has included 13 uncapped players in his 19-man squad.
"I don't feel any particular danger at the moment. I wish nothing happens as our stay is short. We will focus on football," Okada told reporters after a training session in front of machine gun-toting police.
"The players are highly motivated and they are working out in fine condition."
Bahrain are likely to join them in the finals in Qatar from Group A with Milan Macala's men playing the already-eliminated Hong Kong at home, with a victory enough to secure their berth.
Pim Verbeek's Australia travel to Kuwait looking for the win that will assure them of a place at the January 2011 showpiece.
But it won't be an easy ride with the Kuwaitis upsetting the Socceroos 1-0 when they clashed in Canberra last year.
Verbeek has an under-strength squad with the likes of Lucas Neill, Tim Cahill and Mark Schwarzer not available.
Dynamo Moscow midfielder Luke Wilkshire is the most prominent of Verbeek's overseas players and he believes the team's fighting spirit will carry them over the line.
"We're all winners, we're all fighters," he said from the Socceroos' training camp in Dubai.
"Playing for our country, you won't see any of us dropping off or giving up or letting things go easily. It's just inside of us."
In the other Group B clash, Indonesia have home advantage against Oman and need a win to keep alive their slim hopes of qualifying.
They have three points from their four games so far, one less than Oman and four adrift of Australia and Kuwait with only the top two from each group qualifying.
Indonesia caoch Benny Dolo said he will stick to the same formation despite not getting the results he hoped for.
"We will still maintain our 3-5-2 or 4-4-2 formation which we have been using all this while," said Dolo, who will be without suspended defenders Ismed Sofyan and Maman Abdurahman.
Uzbekistan have already qualified from Group C with the second berth between United Arab Emirates and Malaysia, who play each other.
UAE are firmly in the driving seat with home advantage and a 5-0 victory against Malaysia when they last met a year ago.
They need a point to qualify but coach Srecko Katanec is taking nothing for granted.
"Football is a strange game and we must take this match very seriously, so as not to create any problems for ourselves," he said.
With Syria already through from Group D, the onus is on China with three points against the Syrians in Zhejiang enough to book their place in Qatar.
Vietnam still have a slim chance of progressing from the group, but victory in Lebanon is essential.
Group E is more finely balanced with Iran on seven points, Singapore on six, Bryan Robson's Thailand on five and Jordan a point further adrift.
Singapore have a home fixture against Iran while the Thais must beat Jordan to stay in the hunt.
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