Final 12 seek early advantage on the road to Russia
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E-mail China.org.cn, August 31, 2016
Australia v Iraq
Perth Rectangular Stadium, Perth
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Like Qatar, Ange Postecoglou's team scored 29 goals in the first qualifying Group Stage, but a poor performance in a home friendly loss to Greece in June brought the 2015 AFC Asian Cup winners down to earth somewhat.
Still, Australia are undoubtedly a force to be reckoned with.
Goalkeeper Mat Ryan is closing in on undisputed number one status at Valencia, China-based central defensive pairing Trent Sainsbury and Matthew Spiranovic complement Postcoglou's game plan perfectly, creative midfielders Tom Rogic and Aaron Mooy are making waves in the United Kingdom, and the Socceroos still have all-time top scorer Tim Cahill at their disposal.
Cahill, who has just joined Melbourne City in the A-League, is one of just two locally based players in a 23-man squad spread throughout Europe and Asia.
Iraq's squad features a number of players fresh from a promising, but ultimately frustrating Rio Olympics campaign where three draws, including one against gold-medalists Brazil saw them eliminated in the group stage.
Saad Abdulameer was the outstanding player of Iraq's Rio 2016 campaign and he will be joined by talents like England-based Yaser Kasim and Udinese star Ali Adnan.
Interestingly, Iraq will feature a player with Australian citizenship in their ranks; Pohang Steelers recruit Ali Abbas holds dual nationality after spending seven years playing in Australia's A-League.
Japan v United Arab Emirates
Saitama Stadium 2002, Saitama
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On a fixture list brimming with quality and interest across Asia, the Japan-United Arab Emirates meeting is, perhaps, the must-see game of the opening Matchday.
Mahdi Ali's Emirati team pulled off one of the shocks of the 2015 AFC Asian Cup by eliminating the star-studded Samurai Blue on penalties after a 1-1 draw in Sydney, and will be hopeful of an equally strong performance in Saitama.
History aside, each team features genuine stars of Asian football and the likes of Keisuke Honda, Shinji Kagawa and Shinji Okazaki going to head to head with Omar Abdulrahman, Ali Mabkhout and Ahmed Khalil is a mouthwatering prospect for fans of the Asian game.
Japan recovered from an early 0-0 draw with Singapore to comfortably advance from the Group Stage and are expected by many to qualify for a sixth successive FIFA World Cup, while United Arab Emirates haven't appeared on world football's biggest stage since 1990.
With a highly talented generation of players reaching their peak, 2018 may be the tournament that breaks the drought for the Emiratis, but the journey begins with one of the most challenging away trips in Asian football.
Saudi Arabia v Thailand
King Fahd International Stadium, Riyadh
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Once regular qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup, Saudi Arabia missed out of South Africa 2010 and were eliminated in the first Group Stage of qualifying four years later, but will be looking to return to the big stage in Russia.
The Saudis have been impressive so far in qualifying, winning a tricky group - with a last-gasp win over United Arab Emirates in Jeddah, and prolific striker Mohammad Al-Sahlawi's 14 goals the highlights.
Their opponents, Thailand, are looking to become the first team Southeast Asian team to appear at a FIFA World Cup since Indonesia (as Dutch East Indies) broke new ground in 1938.
The War Elephants – under the stewardship of former star player Kiatisuk Senamuang - surprised many in the first group stage by going unbeaten, and topping a group featuring Iraq, Vietnam and Chinese Taipei.
Recent warm-up matches have seen sharply contrasting results for the two sides, with the Saudis thumping Laos 4-0, while Thailand suffered a 3-0 defeat at the hands of Qatar.
Interestingly, in something of a rarity in modern international football, every player in each of the two squads plays their club football on home soil.
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