The final group in the third round of Asian qualifying, group E, is still murky at the top as no one has established themselves as clear favorites as of yet.
Group E
1. Iran 4 pts, +3 GD
2. Bahrain 4 pts, +2 GD
3. Qatar 2 pts, 0 GD
4. Indonesia 0 pts, -5 GD
Iran's third round began with a tepid first half performance at home against Indonesia, but they ran riot in the second half with three unanswered goals. The top seed in this group expected to take all three points in Qatar in the second fixture, however they could not hold an early second half lead, drawing 1-1.
Hopes are still high in the Iranian camp and its next match is home to Bahrain. A win there would put the three-time World Cup participants in control of the group.
Meanwhile, Bahrain will be aiming to get priceless point from the match, which would be critical for the side holding down the second advancing spot in the group.
Despite all the political turmoil in the country, Bahrain has not let the distractions affect its campaign so far. While they did drop two points at home to Qatar after a scoreless draw, they rebounded with an 2-0 away win in Indonesia.
Qatar drew both of its matches in September, but they are no means out of contention in the group. In fact, the Qataris should be quite pleased with its position so far.
Holding Bahrain away could prove to be the difference for Qatar if they can match Bahrain's results from here on out and defeat them at home. A point against top seeded Iran is also a positive result.
Qatar's next fixture is away to Indonesia where the side need to take all the points, which may be a tough task.
While Indonesia has dropped both of its matches so far, its performances have been an improvement over its past. The problem for the East-Asian side is who will bang in the goals for them after failing to tally in each match.
They need to pick up at least a point versus Qatar or else they are basically eliminated from the competition.
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