China are the highest-ranked team in the group, 87th in the world and sixth in the Asian Football Confederation, but the rankings system is notoriously misleading.

Syria are 20 places back, but had too much for China during qualifying, winning their opening encounter 3-2 in Aleppo before a 0-0 draw in the return in Hangzhou.

Syria aside, China completed home and away doubles over Lebanon and Vietnam to finish second in qualifying Group D.

Their impressive form has continued with three successive wins in friendly internationals, beating Latvia 1-0, Estonia 3-0 and Macedonia 1-0.

But the last match against top-quality opposition - World Cup semi-finalists Uruguay - ended in a 4-0 defeat in October.

China begin their tournament on January 8 against Kuwait, who led qualifying Group B early on after an impressive 1-0 win away to Australia in March 2009.

Kuwait eventually finished second behind Australia, one point ahead of Oman, but remained undefeated against the Socceroos after securing a 2-2 draw in the return fixture in January.

Ranked 102nd in the world and 10th in Asia, Kuwait are also in strong form heading into the tournament after winning the Gulf of Nations Cup in November and the West Asian Federation Championship in September.

Their last defeat came in a friendly with Bahrain in October, and they have since gone eight games unbeaten, including a 9-1 demolition of India.

Positive results and successive tournament victories mark Kuwait out as narrow favourites to top the Group.

Uzbekistan will be making their fourth consecutive appearance at the Asian Cup since their debut in 1996.

Qualifying second in a group of only three, Uzbekistan finished nine points ahead of Malaysia but behind the United Arab Emirates on goal difference after going down 1-0 at home to the eventual group winners in their final match.

They take on hosts Qatar in the tournament opener on January 7 with just one win - 4-2 away to Bahrain in October - from their past six matches.

A final warm-up friendly against Syria on December 29 will be Uzbekistan's last chance to find form before the tournament begins.

Qatar avoided the rigours of a qualifying campaign by virtue of hosting the tournament, and their few performances on the pitch have been overshadowed by FIFA's decision to award the 2022 World Cup to the tiny Emirate.

The Asian Cup represents Qatar's first opportunity to prove the critics wrong by showing they are capable of staging a successful tournament, but they will also harbour ambitions of springing a surprise on the pitch.

They lost 1-0 to Group A rivals Kuwait in the Gulf Cup, but have since gone on to win three of their past four, including an impressive win against Estonia and a massive upset of world No.9 Egypt.

Key Game: Kuwait v China, January 8, Al Gharafa Stadium. The winner of match No.2 is likely to top the group, but a draw could open the door for either of Qatar or Uzbekistan to sneak through.

Players to Watch:

China: Chinese Football Association Young Player of the Year in 2006 and 2007, this could be the tournament that Hao Junmin announces himself on the big stage after missing the 2007 Asian Cup through illness. Scorer of 16 goals in 123 appearances for Tianjin Teda, the attacking midfielder joined German giants Schalke 04 in January 2010.

Kuwait: Boast arguably the most talented player in the group in Al-Qadisiya's Bader Al-Mutwa, who netted three goals in the victorious Gulf Cup campaign. Tipped to be the first Kuwaiti to play top-flight European football, Al-Mutwa was on trial with La Liga club Malaga last season.

Qatar: Sebastian Soria, a Uruguayan-born, naturalised Qatari, will once again carry the hopes of the host nation. The 27-year-old netted three times for Qatar in the 2007 Asian Cup and scored both goals in their 2-0 win over Estonia.

Uzbekistan: Will hope for a strong showing from Server Djeparov, the Asian Player of the Year in 2008. The 28-year-old midfielder took Bunyodkor to the Uzbek title earlier this year and is now on loan with K-League side Seoul.

Prediction: Kuwait to win the group ahead of China, with Uzbekistan narrowly missing out and Qatar bringing up the rear.