08-06-2007 AFC Asian Cup Betting Analysis from PinnacleSports.com

The 2007 AFC Asian Cup starts on July 7th bringing together the 16 best footballing nations from across the region. In a format common to international soccer tournaments, the teams are divided into four groups, with each featuring just one of the quartet of hosts – Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam. There will be some familiar faces to European soccer fans in action, but many of the sides will be off the radar of mainstream soccer. For bettors to stand a chance of profiting from the tournament they must start doing their homework on the lesser known nations, then take advantage of the 60% better AFC Asian Cup odds available at PinnacleSports.com.

Can Japan Land Asian Cup Hat-trick?
Japan begin the defence of their AFC Asian Cup title against Qatar in Hanoi on July 9, looking to become the second team after Iran to record a hat-trick of victories. Bosnian, Ivica Osim succeeded Zico as coach of the national side in July after the disappointment of early exit from World Cup. Osim quickly put his mark on the side introducing several young new faces and beginning a new era for the Nihon Daihyo.

The 28-man squad includes four players based in Europe, midfielder Junichi Inamoto striker Naohiro Takahara at Eintracht Frankfurt, Basel defender Koji Nakata and Celtic midfielder Shunsuke Nakamura, the side’s talisman. Nakamura’s stock rose after some notable Champions League performances with Celtic where he was named Player of the Year by his team-mates, fans, football writers, fellow professionals and SPL sponsors. He is however, a doubt for the tournament opener after suffering an ankle injury during Celtic’s Tennent’s Scottish Cup final victory. The Japanese, one of the tournament favourites with PinnacleSports.com warmed up by winning the Kirin Cup, a three-way friendly event also involving Montenegro and Colombia.

Little Expected of Vietnam on AFC Cup Debut
Had Vietnam not been selected as one of the four host for the 2007 AFC Asian Cup, they would still probably be waiting to appear in their first major finals. Football is arguably the main and most supported sport in Vietnam, but unfortunately betting scandals have undermined development of the game. Austrian, Alfred Riedl, is currently in his third term as coach of the side, which is indicative of the hap-hazard organisation of the national side.

Vietnam’s performance in January’s Tiger Cup (Championship of South East Asian nations) doesn’t inspire confidence for the greater challenges of this tournament. They reached the last four of the eight team competition, which included the other three AFC Asian Cup hosts, by winning just a single game.

Qatar Rising Power of Asian Football
Benefiting from significant investment, the football league in Qatar is widely regarded as one of the most progressive in the region. The developments in the domestic game are paying dividends with the national side which qualified comfortably for its seventh AFC Asian Cup by topping group F. Coach Dzemaludin Musovic has been in charge since 2004, which is beyond the average lifespan of national coaches in the region, and that relative continuity has benefited the Qatar side.

On only one occasion has Qatar progressed beyond the first round of the finals, but hopes are high that this year will see one of their best showings after taken gold medal at the Asian Games held on home soil. Unfortunately, AFC Player of the Year Khalfan Ibrahim Khalfan, is sidelined recovering from cruciate ligament knee damage. Qatar’s opening game could dictate the success of their campaign as they face defending Champions, Japan, in Hanoi.

UAE Look to Exploit Feel-Good from Gulf Cup Win
The UAE’s maiden success in the 2007 Gulf Cup of Nations has given Bruno Metsu’s side confidence that they can compete with the established Asian Nations, having overcome Saudi Arabia in the final of the eight team tournament, traditionally recognised as the best team in the Gulf region. Striker Ismail Matar, voted most valuable player of the Tiger Cup success after topping the scoring charts with five goals from five matches, should again prove a key role as Qatar strive to emerge from a tough group.

Captain Rashid Abdul Rahman told Gulf News that the team needed to guard against complacency and retain focus after the jubilation of January’s win. The squad was expecting to be joined by Alexander Oliveira , Brazilian by birth, but in the process of becoming a UAE citizen. Oliveira helped Al-Wasl to a domestic double of the Qatar league and President’s Cup this season, but decided to switch his official nationality to the UAE after accepting he had no chance of representing the Brazil. Unfortunately, his naturalisation hasn’t been completed in time for the finals.

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