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Liam Foster - January 11, 2024
Group E would see South Korea, one of Asia’s strongest squads and the clear frontrunner for this year’s AFC Asian Cup, alongside Malaysia, Jordan, and Bahrain in what is widely thought to be an open group.
South Korea, the two-time winner, as already termed, will begin the competition as one of the favorites. Jürgen Klinsmann would have some of the best players at his disposal, including their captain, Son Heung-min, alongside Kim Min-jae, Hwang Hee-chan, and Lee Kang-in, among others.
However, it would be significant to note South Korea’s lack of depth in particular elements of defence (fullbacks) and defensive midfield, which might have an impact on their gameplan to go all the way.
Jordan envisions finishing above Malaysia and Bahrain to advance to the next round, a feat they achieved in 2019.
Hussein Ammouta has at his disposal a number of talented players, such as Hamza Al-Dardour and Montpellier attacker Musa Al-Taamari, who might help them accomplish fantastic things, like they did against the current champions, Qatar. But it is difficult for the squad to compete against formidable opponents because of their lack of depth.
Malaysia are the underdogs in the group but have been performing pretty strongly for some time now with their attack, especially with key players Faisal Halim and Safawi Rasid, among others. However, their defence does show a sense of concern, meaning them finishing just short of the top two spots in the group.
Bahrain should give a tough fight to Jordan and Malaysia. However, their attacking struggles do pose a question despite their solid defence. Juan Antonio Pizzi does lack players with higher-level experience, despite having names like Sayed Mohammed Jaffer, Waleed Al Hayam, and Kamil Al-Aswad, the majority of whom play their domestic football in Bahrain.
South Korea, led by its top players, are widely projected to win the group simply because of their better offensive and defensive capabilities when compared to the other teams in the competition. Jordan, on the other hand, would finish second in the rankings since some of their players have produced far more than the other two.
Malaysia’s offensive strength would allow them to escape coming last in the group, while Bahrain would battle hard but finish bottom owing to their attacking deficiencies.
Prediction: South Korea, Jordan, Malaysia, and Bahrain.
