Teams ready for business

3rd January 2019

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Abu Dhabi: Japan and Palestine have arrived for the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 while several others have settled in and undergone training sessions in their bases ahead of the Continental showpiece that kicks off on Saturday.



Japan arrived on Thursday seeking a record-extending fifth AFC Asian Cup.

Hajime Moriyasu's team, who have enjoyed an excellent build-up to the tournament, are in Group F with Uzbekistan, Oman and Turkmenistan.

The Samurai Blue, whose campaign as defending champions ended in the quarter-finals in the 2015 AFC Asian Cup, play Turkmenistan in their UAE 2019 opener on January 9. That will be followed by ties against Oman on January 13 and Uzbekistan four days later.



Palestine received a rousing welcome from their fans upon touching down as hundreds greeted Noureddine Ould Ali squad.

Palestine, who will be appearing in their second AFC Asian Cup Finals, are in Group A with defending champions Australia, Syria and Jordan.

They open against Syria on January 6, play Australia five days later and conclude their group stage campaign against Jordan on January 15.

 

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? The Palestinian ?? community in UAE ?? welcoming their team at the airport! #AsianCup2019

A post shared by #AsianCup2019 (@afcasiancup) on Jan 3, 2019 at 5:16am PST

Meanwhile, teams who arrived earlier have started acclimatising to the local conditions with three-time champions Saudi Arabia having already undergone several training sessions.

Saudi Arabia, whose last title triumph was in 1996 when the AFC Asian Cup was held in the UAE, are in Group E with Qatar, Lebanon and DPR Korea.

They face DPR Korea on January 8, Lebanon four days later before concluding their group campaign against Qatar on January 17.

Jordan, appearing in their fourth AFC Asian Cup Finals, also wasted no time in getting to the training pitch.

The West Asians, who made the quarter-finals in two of their previous three appearances in the Finals, are in Group B.

They face defending champions Australia on Sunday in their tournament opener. That will be followed by matches against Syria on January 10 and Palestine five days later.

Hosts UAE, bidding to better their runners-up finish of 1996, have also been busy gearing up for their tournament opener against Bahrain on Saturday.

Third in Australia 2015, UAE will face India on January 10 in their second match and Thailand four days later.


Source: the-afc.com

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