Group E is the final group left to preview for the third round of AFC qualifying. IT features Bahrain, Indonesia, Iran and Qatar. It is one of the more competitive groups and should be quite the battle for the top two spots.
With AFC and CONCACAF games beginning on Friday, we will preview all the games at some point tomorrow and make predictions so stay tuned for that. For now, lets take a look at group E.
Bahrain
FIFA rank: 101
2010 qualifying result: Eliminated 1-0 by New Zealand in the Intercontinental playoff
How they got here: Received a bye to this round
The last two qualifying cycles have been filled of drama and heartbreak for Bahrain. Both times they played in the Asian playoff, which they won each time. Unfortunately they lost in the Intercontinental playoff both times.
First in 2006 qualifying Bahrain finished third in its group in the final round just one point ahead of North Korea. This setup a playoff with Uzbekistan. In a playoff soaked with controversy, FIFA ordered the first game replayed due to a referee error, Bahrain advanced on the away goals rule, 1-1 on aggregate. Bahrain then faced Trinidad and Tobago for a spot in the World Cup. The first leg finished 1-1 in T&T and Bahrain was favored to win the tie. However, T&T pulled out a huge 1-0 victory in Bahrain to make the World Cup.
Last cycle Bahrain once again finished in third in its group during the final round, four points in front of Qatar. They matched up against Saudi Arabia in the Asian playoff, and advanced on the away goals rule yet again, after one of the most dramatic finished ever. With the score tied at one in the 91st minute Saudi Arabia scored and Bahrain was headed out. Shockingly just a minute later Ismail Abdul-Latif struck from a corner to see Bahrain through. This time, they faced up with New Zealand for the World Cup spot. Once again they failed to seize the opportunity, missing a penalty and losing on aggregate 1-0.
Bahrain has never qualified for the World Cup and has only made four Asian Cups with its best result fourth in 2004. In the 2011 edition Bahrain was placed in the group of death along with Australia, India and South Korea. The side failed to progress from the group stage, losing 2-1 to South Korea, beating India 5-2 and falling to Australia 1-0.
Peter Taylor became coach of Bahrain in July. He was actually the first coach to give David Beckham the captaincy for England. Taylor was the caretaker manager for England for one match in 2000. Taylor has spent most of coaching career in the lower divisions of England. Here is the squad he called in for the first two qualifying games.
Bahrain Squad: Sayed Mohammed Jaffar, Abbas Ahmed, Hamad Al Dossary, Ebrahim Al Meshkhas, Abdulla Al Marzooqi, Saleh Abdulhameed, Salman Isa, Hamad Rakea, Hussain Baba, Dawood Saad, Mahmood Abdulrahman, Ismaeel Abdullatif, Fahad Al Hardan, Hamad Faisal Al Shaikh, Ahmed Hassan, Ahmed Al Khattal, Faouzi Aaish, Abdulla Ismail Omar, Mohammed Hussain, Rashed Al Hooti, Mohammed Al Duaij, Waleed Al Hayam, Mohammed Al Tayeb and Sayed Dhiya Saeed.
Abdulla Al Marzooqi and Hussain Baba are the anchors of the defense, both have over 60 caps for their country. Midfielder Salman Isa has over 100 caps for Bahrain and 16 goals. Ismaeel Abdullatif is counted on for his heading abilities up front.
Bahrain played two friendly matches in August, a 1-1 draw with Oman and a 1-0 triumph over Sudan, which may give them some momentum heading into qualifying.
While Bahrain is talented they have several issues, including a potential division in the squad. They are not favored to advance, but if they can beat rival Qatar, second place can be all theirs.
Indonesia
FIFA rank: 131
2010 qualifying result: Eliminated 11-1 on aggregate to Syria in round two
How they got here: Defeated Turkmenistan 5-4 on aggregate in round two
Technically, Indonesia has made a World Cup. Way back in 1938, when the country was known as the Dutch East Indies, they became the first Asian side to qualify for the World Cup. They lost 6-0 to Hungary in the first round.
Indonesia has qualified four times for the Asian Cup, from 1996 to 2007. They never made it out of the group stage in any edition. The side's only wins were one in 2004 and one in 2007.
The Southeast Asian nation is one of only two teams left in AFC qualifying that did not make this round in the last cycle, the other being Tajikistan. In 2010 qualifying, Indonesia advanced to the second round after Guam withdrew. They faced off with Syria and were crushed on aggregate 11-1.
This cycle, Indonesia was given a fortunate draw in round two, being paired with Turkmenistan. The first leg saw Indonesia come away with a 1-1 draw and a potential crucial away goal. Full of confidence, Indonesia raced out to a lead in the second leg and then hung on for a 4-3 win and 5-4 triumph on aggregate to make the group stage. 88,000 people came to the home match for Indonesia.
The coach of Indonesia is Wim Rijsbergen, who was named in charge in 2011. He formerly coached several clubs in the Netherlands and briefly managed Trinidad and Tobago. Here is the squad he called in for the opening group games.
1) Markus H.
2) M. Roby
3) Ferry R.
4) M. Ilham
5) Hamka H.
6) M. Nasuha
7) Arif S.
8) Zulkifly S.
9) Tony S.
10) Beny W.
11)Wahyu W.
12) Irfan B.
13) C. Gonzales
14) Eka R.
15) Okto
16) Supardi
17) M.Ridwan
18) Bambang P.
19) Firman U.
20) Ferdinand S.
21) Made W.
22) Hariono
23) Amrizal
Captain Bambang Pamungkas is a striker who has 36 goals for the national side. Midfielder Firman Utina is another integral player for the squad. While the defense may not be the most experienced, they are backed in net by Markus Haris Maulana. All players on the squad play in the domestic league.
Since its win against Turkmenistan, Indonesia has played two friendlies in August. The first was a 4-1 victory over eliminated side Palestine and the second a 1-0 defeat to group A member Jordan. Highlights from the Palestine win are below.
It is highly unlikely that Indonesia will advance out of this group, and if they finish anywhere but last it will be a surprise. The side will have huge support at home however, which could go a long way in helping Indonesia obtain points.
Iran
FIFA rank: 53
2010 qualifying result: Eliminated in final group stage with 11 points from eight games
How they got here: Defeated the Maldives 5-0 on aggregate in round two
Iran is one of the more successful teams in Asia, having qualified for three World Cups and 12 Asian Cups. Iran has also reached a high of 15 in the FIFA rankings, back in 2005.
Iran has never advanced out of the group stage in the World Cup. In its first appearance in 1978, the side's lone point was a 1-1 draw against Scotland. In 1998, Iran won one game, 2-1 over the USA. The 2006 World Cup went similarly for Iran, once again they only obtained one point, a 1-1 draw versus Angola.
Iran was the best team in Asia in the 1970s. They won three consecutive editions of the Asian Cup. However, since then the side has not made it back to the final. Recently, Iran's best result was a third place finish in 2004. The 2011 Asian Cup started off well for Iran, they won all three group games against Iraq, North Korea and U.A.E. However, in the quarterfinals Iran fell to South Korea 1-0 in extra time.
After the Asian Cup, Iran hired Carlos Queiroz to become manager of the squad. Queiroz was the assistant at Manchester United for most of the 2000s, before taking the job coaching Portugal, who he led at the 2010 World Cup. Here is the squad he called in for the opening group matches.
Goalkeepers:
Seyed-Mehdi Rahmati
Ali-reza Haghighi
Shahab Gordan
Defense:
Ehsan Hajsafi
Mehrdad Pouladi
Seyed-Jalal Hosseini
Hadi Aghili
Hanif Omranzadeh
Khsrow Heydari
Hossein Mahini
Midfield:
Javad Nekounam
Ghasem Hadadifar
Milad Zeneyedpour
Maziar Zare
Andranik Teymourian
Ali Karimi
Mojtaba Jabbari
Forwards:
Mohammad-reza Khalatbari
Arash Afshin
Gholam-reza Rezaei
Farhad Majidi
Mohammad Ghazi
Karim Ansarifard
Saeed Daghighi
Javad Nekounam and Ali Karimi have both received over 110 caps for Iran and have 26 and 37 international goals respectively. Nekounam plays in La Liga for Osasuna. Most members play in the domestic league in Iran however. Iran has called in a bunch of forwards, the most experienced is Farhad Majidi at the age of 35. Defensively, Jalal Hosseini and Hadi Aghili should anchor the side while in net Mehdi Rahmati will start.
Iran is the big favorite to win the group and progress. It will be interesting to see what Queiroz can do in charge of the national team and if he can lead them back to the World Cup.
Qatar
FIFA rank: 88
2010 qualifying result: Eliminated in the final group stage with six points from eight games
How they got here: Defeated Vietnam 4-2 on aggregate in round two
The hosts of the 2022 World Cup have never qualified for football's biggest event. They have reached eight Asian Cups, making the quarterfinals twice including the most recent tournament, which they hosted.
In the 2011 edition, Qatar opened with a disappointing 2-0 loss to Uzbekistan. However, they rebounded with two nice wins, a 2-0 victory over China and a 3-0 thrashing of Kuwait. They finished second in the group and were paired with favorite Japan in the quarterfinals. Qatar took the lead twice in the game, but lost it each time and succumbed to a 3-2 defeat to the eventual champion.
The last qualifying cycle was a successful one for Qatar. They nudged out Iraq and China for the second spot in the first group round, advancing them to the final group stage. They finished four points back of Bahrain for the playoff spot, winning 4-0 against Uzbekistan and earning three draws.
Qatar was given a potentially tricky tie in the second round of qualifying in July with Vietnam. They quickly quelled any fears of an upset with a 3-0 win at home, despite losing 2-1 on the road, the team had enough to advance.
Sebastião Lazaroni, who coached Brazil at the 1990 World Cup, is currently the coach of Qatar. The squad he called in for the first group games can be found here.
All players on the squad play in the domestic league in Qatar. The side is captained by Bilal Mohammed, a defender who has 59 caps. Khalfan Ibrahim, 23, is potentially a danger man for the side. Up front, Sebastián Soria has 57 caps and 23 goals in his career, and will be counted on to continue his great strike rate if the side are to advance.
Recently Qatar has struggled. They played two friendlies in August and dropped them both. A 1-0 defeat to Iraq was followed by a 3-1 loss to the U.A.E. This is not a positive sign at all for Qatar's chances. They need to sort out their problems quickly if they want to finish ahead of Bahrain.
Prediction
Iran should finish at the top of the group without much of a problem. On the other hand, Indonesia should finish at the bottom of the group without much of a problem. However, the battle for second between Bahrain and Qatar should be very interesting. Eventually, Bahrain takes advantage of Qatar's poor recent form and just edges them out.
1. Iran
2. Bahrain
3. Qatar
4. Indonesia
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