Which will be the biggest upset in Asia for the coming WCQ's? My prediction is that an overconfident South Korea will leave some of its best players in Europe during the first group round ,and get nipped by a resurgent Vietnam on away goals or goal difference. You heard it here first!
I think it will be Kuwait against China. In group 1- Qatar and Jordan could practically cancel each other out and help Iran in the process. I also expect Oman to make life difficult for Japan, not suggesting they will top the group, they will add some spice.
You put Malaysia over China and Jordan over Iran but not Kuwait over China? RoFl. Iraq will qualify over Uzbk Kuwait will qualify over China
I doubt this, because since Korea lost to Vietnam already last time, they will take this match more seriously than ever. They'll be anything BUT overconfident in this match-up. It won't be so much for World Cup qualifying but it'll be more about revenging that lost we suffered in the Asian Cup Qualifying.
I dont know whats the standings are, but why would you guys be surprised if kuwait beat china? since when did china get to be a soccer super power in Asia? And Kuwait are hardly minnows.
Whe the hell did I say China's a soccer super power in Asia? So why would you be surprised if China beats Kuwait? No, I don't think Kuwait's a minnow, we need to call back our abroad players for the preliminary round. And I don't think China will make it to Germany in 2006, but we'll at least get through the preliminary round.
From Central Asia, don't be surprised if an improving Taijkistan make a legitimate run at group 6. And Turkmenistan are Saudi Arabia's most serious challenge in group 8. I would give them a shot at taking that group.
how can iraq beating uzbek be an upset when iraq is already stronger than uzbek? i'm sure canada over uzbek will be a sheer upset though
Ulsan University can win the Asian Cup. They beat the National side. We should get Ulsan University to represent Korea.
Uzbk. was a first seed, while Iraq was a 2nd seed, if Iraq qualifies over Uzbekistan, that is considered an UPSET because a 2nd seed team qualified over the first seed team.
i guess people's favorite would be Korea not qualifying. They got 4th place in the WC, everybody would like to see them fail so they can say "that was just one lucky break for Korea" however, what they don't realize, is the difference in skill level between Korea and Vietnam. The difference in infrastructure, investment, experience and the professional league. Korea could easily win by 5 goals if they use their full team and qualifying for WC is on stake. Korea has qualified to the WC 5 straight times. Why would they get eliminated even before the final round?
I don't think a lot of people want to see Korea "fail". I think there is a lot of admiration for what they have done, especially at the last WC. Even the grumpy Italians, if you scratch the surface, have admiration for them. And, they have certainly and clearly been Asia's most succesful team over the years. It's just that most neutral supporters appreciate upsets, especially from a country like Vietnam, which has so much potential hindered by various tragedy. Which is why so many cheered for South Korea at the last WC. Manchester United or Real Madrid getting beat by less galactic sides is always interesting.
Look at the title of this thread, it's about predicting upsets, and Vietnam over S Korea would certainly be the biggest.
I suspect that Japan will have some serious challenges during the Qualifying campaign. I'd hate to see Japan not qualifying but I don't know if I can completely trust Zico. I should give him a little more time, I mean Troussier took about 3 years to make a bigger impact through World Youth Cup, King Hassan Cup, Sydney Olympics and Confederations Cup, but Zico doesn't seem to have something solid about his coaching. What I hated the most was that JFA doesn't have a complete plan. I thought Troussier made the groundwork for Japan. 3-5-2 with alot of organized pressing. Now Zico goes back to 4-4-2 or more like a 4-2-2-2. While the players seems to be having more fun on the field, it looks a little more chaotic. There seems to be more defensive breakdowns. After Euro 2004 is over Trapattoni is gonna resign from Italy so I'd say JFA should make a run for him. We have Nakata, Yanagisawa, and Nakamura that plays in Italy so I think the style will match Japan.
I think Japan will be tested not only by Oman but also India especially, as the Indian team is definitely improving with some good young players coming through, along with the older stars like Baichung, Ancheri, Renedy Singh, etc From what i know, Japan tried to get all the qualifiers of the group played in Japan, but the other teams declined, which means that India has a big home advantage because of the hot weather and the long flight needed. India will find it hard to qualify but at least they will test the opponents and i expect them to beat Singapore also. The players who will also do well are Tomba Singh, Alvito D'Cunha, Ashim Biswas Climax Lawrence