Now I know a lot of you will be waking up at bizarre hours to watch our beloved Socceroos do battle over in group C. Hopefully by the time you have read this you will be in post match ecstasy as Australia post a ridiculous score line against India. However if you want drama on soap opera scale then I urge you to wander over to group B with me.

First let's meet the cast:

The Contender - JAPAN (5-1 odds to win cup)

Laser like passing and the best team 'on paper' these Blue Samurai are the clear front runner to take the cup. With key players like Keisuke Honda pulling the strings and feeding Yasuhito Endo and Shinji Kagawa it is a formidable line up 'on paper'

The Expert - Saudi Arabia (13-1 odds)

With 7 appearances and 3 cups just before the turn of the centaury Saudi Arabia know what it takes to win. With Japan as its only real threat it would seem they have an easy line straight through to the second round. Boasting former AFC Asian Player of the Year Striker Yasser Al Qahtani the attack should yield goals.

The Pretender - Syria (23-1 odds)

Boasting a win over China and a draw with Sweden in the last year, Syria is a dark horse.  With striker Firas Al-Khatib who can claim over 150 goals in 8 years with in his club career leading the charge they will come to spoil the party. Although dangerous they lack the quality of Japan and Saudia Arabia.

The Road Hump - Jordan (29-1 odds)

Jordan scraped into the finals by beating Singapore in their final match and then praying results in other games went their way. Although lucky to qualify that will not deter their captain Hatem Aqel who glues their defense together, think Kevin Muscat for the Victory and you will have an idea of his influence.

Now that the introductions are done "why is Group B the PLACE TO BE?"

Let me tell you! If you were lucky enough like me you tuned into Syria versus Saudi Arabia, clearly a David vs. Goliath moment then you would have experienced a rare football moment. What we didn't expect was to be treated to what will go down in my books as one of the greatest games I will watch this year. This was football as it was meant to be, crisp passing and attacking that would not stop. Both teams came out fast and hard and the atmosphere and twists of the score line kept the punters guessing. Saudi Arabia eventually fell 2-1 and to put into perspective the ramifications of this upset, the Saudi coach was dismissed the next day!

This was after Japan, the aforementioned 'best team on paper' who are praised for their passing accuracy and technical ability. Whose team boasts players from around the world in leagues as competitive as the Bundesliga facing the also aforementioned 'road hump' Jordan. To be honest I tuned into this one to solely watch the Blue Samurai carve Jordan into mini bite sized pieces. But to their credit and the absolutely immense performance from their keeper Jordan scored and kept the pressure on the tournament favorites. It wasn't until the 92nd minute that Japan found the back of the net to level the scores and escape with a point.

The drama is all here, minnows challenging giants and getting away with it, coaches getting sacked and wonderful football with goals to match.

Like we learnt at the last Cup - Asia is full of surprises and every game is a potential boil over so take no-one for granted. I just hope this is the lesson the Socceroos learnt as these opening Group B matches played out.