U.A.E.

It's a hot-seat that's seen the likes of Roy Hodgson, Dick Advocaat, Carlos Queiroz and Mario Zagallo take charge of this wealthy Gulf nation.

These days, Slovenian Srecko Katenec has the job and aside from being drawn in a 'Group of Death', he's got some other concerns leading into Qatar.

The UAE pulled in just 200 fans for a friendly in Abu Dhabi last October. A similarly sparse figure turned up for a hit-out against Chile that same month. Rightly or wrongly Katenec, 47, publicly criticised his
nation's fans for their apathy towards the nation team.

This says much about where the UAE is as a football nation. They may enjoy increasing influence in world football with ownership of clubs like Manchester City and hosting tournaments such as the Club World Cup, but UAE football still fails to fire the imagination of Emirati fans when it comes to a deep interest in the sport and their own national team.

Based on AFC 2011 Asian Cup qualifiers, UAE probably deserved more interest after their eighth qualification for the tournament. Katenec guided his boys to top spot in Group C ahead of Uzbekistan and Malaysia (India, originally in this group, were awarded automatic qualification after winning the 2008 AFC Challenge Cup).

UAE's 1-0 win in Tashkent courtesy of a late goal from from Al Jazira midfielder Sultan Al Menhali was after qualification had been sealed and after they'd been beaten 1-0 at home by the Uzbeks. However UAE shredded the hapless Malaysians 5-0 with Ismael Matar and Mohamed Al Shaddadi bagging a brace each and talented Ahmed Khalil rounding out the romp in Kuala Lumpur.

The national team won't be short of useful lead-in games ahead of January either, with both the 2010 Gulf Cup in Yemen and the Asian Games to prepare them.

It won't be easy for for the 2007 Gulf Cup champions currently ranked 99 in the world and 12 in the AFC when they touch down in Qatar. In a devil of a group, reigning AFC Asian Cup champions Iraq, FIFA 2010 World Cup finalists DPR Korea and Iran join them.

UAE's pampered footballers will need to show some grit to get out of this group. A lack of really 'wanting it' is an accusation regularly aimed at nations like the UAE whose players can earn fat contracts to stay in the Emirates (Katenec's entire squad is domestic based).

However, if they do spring a surprise and scrape through the group, it surely will rev-up the Emirati supporters back home.

Star Man
Twenty seven-year-old Ismael Matar will be the key to his team. He's closing in on 100 caps for his nation and averages almost a goal in every three. Sydney FC striker Alex Brosque remembers Matar from the 2003 Youth World Cup in the UAE. "He was very small but had a great touch; they played through him all the time."

The Coach
Srecko Katanec - One of the rare people in football who can claim to have earned full-international caps for two nations, former Yugoslav international Katanec also appeared for Slovenia. His coaching career has been a mixed bag of results, leading his native Slovenia to relative success in qualification for the 2002 World Cup, but he has experienced fallouts with star players when managing both Slovenia and Macedonia. If he recreates his success in Slovenia, the UAE could be a force come this tournament.

FourFourTwo predicts...
The UAE will have done extremely well to qualify from this group.

DPR Korea
Despite reaching the World Cup finals for only the second time after a wait of over forty years, DPR Korea, or North Korea, sit at a lowly ranked 106 in world football.

In a Communist nation where there have been cases of under-performing athletes being sent to prison camps, the DPR Korea team were deemed to have got-off lightly after South Africa, where their entire squad was forced onto a stage and subjected to criticism from the sports minister, while 400 government officials, students and journalists watched.

They will not want to succumb to the same embarrassment again after three losses at the World Cup, including a 7-0 drubbing by Portugal, the first and likely last time a live football game will be shown in the country.

On the Asian scene, the team have progressed in recent years and won the 2010 AFC Challenge Cup in February this year in Sri Lanka, although their opposition, including Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Myanmar, did not provide the steeliest of challenges.

Preparation for the Asian Cup has been virtually non-existent, as after the final group game in the 2010 World Cup - a 3-0 loss to the Ivory Coast in South Africa - the team didn't play another competitive game until early November when they squeezed past Singapore 2-1.

Politics, the nation's dictatorship status and the government's involvement in the national team are the squad's biggest enemy. As for the actual team, a lack of firepower, depth and little chance to play teams from outside Asia has left most of the players internationally inexperienced.

On the upside, bar their leakage of 12 goals in South Africa, DPR Korea's modern success stems from a solid backline. A five-man defence and supporting midfielders conceded just seven times in 16 World Cup qualifiers. This ultra-defensive approach has at times proved successful and the swift counter-attacks are capable of catching out an opposition that strays too far forward. Unpredictability and mental strength will be key to progression.

The predominantly domestic-based squad will be heavily banking upon their captain and forward Hong Yong-Jo. Hard-hitting defender Pak Nam Chol has the task of keeping the back-line disciplined and reducing attacks upon impressive keeper Ri Myong-Guk, with veteran playmaker Mun In-Guk orchestrating play.

Star Man
Japanese-born Jong Tae-Se is the undisputed King of North Korean football. Described as the "The People's Rooney" he endeared himself further to his compatriots when he cried as the national anthem was played in South Africa 2010. Fast, powerful and direct, 15 goals in 25 games for his country ensured a summer transfer to Germany's VFL Bochum.

The Coach
Kim Jong-Hun - Few would not sympathise with Kim Jong-Hun, bar the country's Government. After the recent World Cup, team members were reportedly individually told to criticise the coach and he was forced to perform hard labour on a construction site. This after leading them to their first World Cup in over 40 years. Failure in Qatar is not an option, but don't be fooled by his brooding demeanour, this no-nonsense coach received more red cards than his players.

FourFourTwo predicts...
With little proper preparation and limited support from their country, just escaping from Group D is very unlikely indeed.