Asia's Day Of Reckoning Looms

AUSTRALIA and Japan could both book their places in South Africa this weekend when they play Qatar and Uzbekistan in their World Cup Qualifiers.

To see today's training session...

The Socceroos need just one more point to secure their second straight World Cup appearance, while the Blue Samurai need three to progress to their fourth successive finals.

Pim Verbeek's squad assembled in Dubai before flying to Doha on June 5, the day before their evening match against Bruno Metsu's men, who they trounced 4-0 in Brisbane last October. Australia also beat the Gulf side 3-0 at home and 3-1 away in the previous qualifying round.

"We want to qualify as soon as possible, but no one thinks it will be easy in Qatar. It was already 40°C in the middle of May, so it will be a tough game for us. There's no risk of us being overconfident," said Verbeek

"I've been watching a lot of my players and they're all in good form. However, it has been a little difficult as some guys in Europe finished their seasons long before others. Seven or eight of my players were still playing in the last weekend in May, including Tim Cahill in the FA Cup final."

Australia top Group A with 13 points, two ahead of Japan and six clear of Bahrain. Both front-runners have three group games left this month, while Bahrain have just two, on June 10 and 17.

Japan could become the first AFC country to qualify for South Africa by beating Uzbekistan at the Pakhtakor Stadium in Tashkent (kick-off 7.05pm local time), which is two hours ahead of Doha (kick-off 7.00pm local time).

Takeshi Okada's slick-passing side warmed up for the clash by winning last week's Kirin Cup, where they romped to successive 4-0 victories over Chile and Belgium, with Shinji Okazaki scoring three goals in two matches.

"It was good to win this tournament before going to Tashkent. I just hope we can also play solidly against Uzbekistan. We're determined to beat them," Okada said.

"It's natural to think we're just one step away from the World Cup, but I've seen so many times that the tables can turn. We haven't done anything yet."

Okada's squad includes Celtic midfielder Shunsuke Nakamura, Makoto Hasebe and Yoshito Okubo of German champions VfL Wolfsburg, Saint-Etienne's Daisuke Matsui and Keisuke Honda of newly promoted Venlo.

Uzbekistan, who have four points, drew 0-0 with Bosnia and Herzegovina in a friendly on June 1.

Group B

Group B leaders Korea Republic will aim to strengthen their bid for a seventh straight World Cup on Saturday when they take on bottom-placed UAE at the Al Maktoum Stadium in Dubai (kick-off 8.15pm local time). DPR Korea host Iran in Pyongyang (kick-off 5.00pm local time), where the venue has been switched to the Yanggakdo Stadium.

Korea Republic drew 0-0 with Oman in a friendly in Dubai on Wednesday as they sought to acclimatise to the hot weather in the Gulf.

Huh Jung-moo's side have 11 points with three group games left to play in June, while DPR Korea and Saudi Arabia, each on 10 points, have two matches remaining. Iran have six points and three games left.

Huh included six Europe-based players in his squad, while Choi Tae-uk was recalled for the first time in three years.

Three newcomers - Yoo Byung-soo, Yang Dong-hyun and Kim Geun-hwan - were brought in, while seasoned veterans like Lee Dong-guk, Lee Chun-soo, Choi Sung-guk and Cho Jae-jin were left out.

"I've been watching these players for a while and they can definitely compete in the national squad," said Huh, a former international. "Yang has recovered from his injury and Yoo's shooting touch and goalscoring ability are among the best."

Korea Republic play their last two group games at the Seoul World Cup Stadium, against Saudi Arabia on June 10 and Iran on June 17.

Iran have three matches in June - and a lot of flying time - as they aim to rescue their qualifying campaign and bounce back from the 2-1 home defeat to Saudi Arabia on March 31, which left them on six points.

Afshin Ghotbi's men warmed up for Saturday's crucial clash with a 5-0 win over the Indonesia U-23 side in Tehran last week, but lost 1-0 to China in a friendly in Qinhuangdao on Monday.

Osasuna midfielder Javad Nekounam is suspended for Saturday's match, while Gholamreza Rezaei, Hassan Ashjari and Karim Bagheri were ruled out of a 27-man squad due to injuries. Mehdi Mahdavikia and recalled midfielder Ali Karimi, the 2004 AFC Player of the Year, are the squad's most experienced players.

"We need to get a minimum of six points. We have 270 minutes of matches to do that. I'm very hopeful," Ghotbi told the-afc.com.

"DPR Korea do not have World Cup experience and there's a lot of pressure on them. If they concede one goal, they lose stability. It's not easy for them to play in Pyongyang. I know how important it is to score the first goal there."

Ghotbi, who was appointed in late April, faces a huge task trying to gain automatic qualification but remains focused on finishing in the top two, with the play-off spot only a back-up plan.

"I hope it doesn't get to the play-off stage, but we're prepared to fight all the way to the 2010 FIFA World Cup. I have a very positive feeling about my team," said Ghotbi, a former assistant to successive Dutch coaches Guus Hiddink, Dick Advocaat and Pim Verbeek at the helm of the Korea Republic national side.

The top two teams in each group earn automatic qualification for next year's finals, while the third-placed teams will compete against each other to enter a play-off against OFC representatives New Zealand for a place in South Africa.

To see today's training session...

2010 FIFA World Cup Asian Qualifiers - Fourth Round (Matchday Eight)

06/06/2009 Group A: Qatar v Australia, Al Sadd Stadium, Doha

06/06/2009 Group A: Uzbekistan v Japan, Pakhtakor Stadium, Tashkent

06/06/2009 Group B: UAE v Korea Republic, Al Maktoum Stadium, Dubai

06/06/2009 Group B: DPR Korea v Iran, Yanggakdo Stadium, Pyongyang

Group A Pld W D L GF GA Pts

Australia 5 4 1 0 8 0 13

Japan 5 3 2 0 8 3 11

Bahrain 6 2 1 3 5 6 7

Uzbekistan 6 1 1 4 5 8 4

Qatar 6 1 1 4 4 13 4