Pivotal encounters loom large in Asia

A series of pivotal matches loom large on Tuesday as Asia's third round in qualifying for the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™ reaches the halfway point. In Group A, pace-setters Iran aim to extend their lead with victory against Syria while Uzbekistan seek to maintain their place in the top two with a maiden win against Korea Republic. China PR and Qatar, with their hopes hanging by a thread, will spare nothing to revitalise their hopes of reaching Russia in their clash in Kunming.

Group B leaders Saudi Arabia face a hard test in Japan while Australia look set to ease past Thailand in Bangkok. Elsewhere, familiar foes meet again as United Arab Emirates play hosts to Iraq with both sides desperate to claw themselves back into contention for the pool's top two. Join FIFA.com as we preview these enticing match-ups.

The matchChina PR-Qatar, Tuodong Stadium, Kunming, 19:36 local time

While China PR and Qatar's players are familiar with each other by this stage of qualifying, having met twice already, two new faces will take their place in the dugouts. At the helm of the visitors is former Uruguay manager Jorge Fossati, who took over from his compatriot Jose Daniel Carreno two matches into the third round. Guiding the Chinese is, meanwhile, none other than World Cup-winning coach Marcello Lippi, who aims to revive their fortunes against the Qataris in his first game in charge.

Both managers are all too aware that this is a game they cannot afford to lose, considering their respective side's plight. China PR languish at the bottom of Group B with a single point, trailing the Qataris by two. With the campaign reaching the midway mark, the two sides face similar must-win scenarios if they are to re-ignite their faint hopes.

On paper, the Qataris head to the re-match with a slight mental edge having won four and drawn three from the past nine qualifying meetings. Notably, they prevailed 1-0 in the first leg in the previous stage which helped them top their group. The Chinese, though, emerged 2-0 victors in the return as they narrowly sealed progression to this stage in dramatic fashion. Fossati's visitors arrive in China in winning form having defeated Russia 2-1 in a pre-match friendly at home last Friday. Lippi's hosts, for their part, fired five unanswered goals past local club Wuhan with attacker Wu Lei, who sealed the victory in the aforementioned game between the pair, completing a brace.

The other attractionsGroup A leaders Iran cross swords with Syria in Malaysia expecting to consolidate their place with a convincing victory. Carlos Queiroz's side are in prolific form after thumping Papua New Guinea 8-1 in a friendly match on Thursday. Reza Ghoochannejhad scored a hat-trick and Karim Ansarifard completed a brace as Team Melli ran riot. The two sides are no strangers on the World Cup qualifying scene, having faced each other ten times across four decades, with the Iranians dominant in winning five and drawing four of those meetings. However, the Syrians will look to reignite the memory of their only triumph in 1973 when they recorded a memorable 1-0 away win at the legendary Azadi Stadium in Tehran.

There is a pivotal match in Group A with second-placed Uzbekistan travelling to Seoul to take on nemesis Korea Republic. The hosts boast an undefeated head-to-head record in the Asian qualifying having racked up four wins and two draws from six previous meetings. Notably, the Taeguk Warriors won 1-0 in a decider as they booked passage to Brazil 2014 at the Uzbeks' expense. Now though, things look different. Leading the rivals by two points, Samvel Babayan's visitors are keen to continue their hopeful campaign by breaking their winning duck against the Koreans. They will look to the experiences of captain Server Djeparov, who spent three seasons in the K-League.

Group B frontrunners Saudi Arabia travel to Japan hoping to strengthen their grip on the section with three points, with Bert van Marwijk's visitors entering the meeting seeking to prolong their undefeated record in this campaign. However, it is Vahid Halilhodzic's hosts who welcome the rivals with increased confidence after thrashing Oman 4-0 in Friday's Kirin Challenge Cup. Both managers have called up new faces to provide fresh impetus in this campaign. Midfielder Awadh Khamis and defender Mohammed Al Breik have earned only their second caps with the Green Falcons courtesy of their good club form while for the Samurai Blue, Swiss-based forward Yuya Kubo and Gamba Osaka midfielder Yosuke Ideguchi are hoping to live up to their respective reputations in their World Cup qualifying debut.

Australia arrive in Bangkok aiming to rediscover their winning form, having been held to a 1-1 draw by Japan at home. Trailing Saudi Arabia by two points, Ange Postecoglou's visitors are keen to keep pressure on the leaders by clinching the maximum points. With Tim Cahill rested and the likes of Tomi Juric and Massimo Luongo out due to injury, Melbourne City midfielder Luke Brattan earns his first international cap while Chinese-based striker Apo Giannou maintains his place. The Socceroos won home and away against the same rivals on the road to Brazil 2014 but while a victory looks to be in their grasp, they can't underestimate the hosts' top-striker Teerasil Dangda, who came close to stunning the Australians by opening the scoring in their narrow 2-1 deafeat four years ago.

United Arab Emirates welcome Iraq aiming to return to the role of genuine contenders. Trailing third-placed Japan by a point, the hosts can rise into the top three with a win and if other results also go their way. With just three points, though, Iraq are left with no option but to win to keep their hopes alive. The home team enter the match with an old score to settle, having lost to the same opponents on away goals over two legs on the road to Mexico 1986. That campaign, however, proved so memorable for the Iraqis, who went on to defeat Syria in the final stage en route to their first and only World Cup to date. The visitors will look to in-form striker Mohannad Abdulraheem who scored four times as they crushed Thailand last time out. The home team can, meanwhile, count on the creative form of Omar Abdulrahman while both Ali Mabkhout and Ahmed Khalil are capable of delivering decisive moments.

Player to watchOmar Abdulrahman has been named among the three-man shortlist for this year's AFC Player of the Year awards following his outstanding displays for both club and country. He has excelled so far in his role as playmaker as United Arab Emirates maintain their qualifying hopes for Russia 2018. At club level, he has proved similarly instrumental to help Al Ain to the AFC Champions League final. Another man-of-the-match performance against Iraq will consolidate his position as favourite to clinch the continent's ultimate individual accolade.

Did you know?A quartet of teams have entered the third round aiming to make history, with Uzbekistan, Syria, Thailand and Qatar all hoping to become the first Asian team to seal their maiden qualification for the World Cup since China PR reached Korea/Japan 2002.

What they said"We are left with no options but to defeat group leaders Saudi Arabia. We have to play with momentum and a strong mindset, telling ourselves the next win will be worth six points. It will be a crucial one. We have to play with aggressiveness and determination," Japan head coach Vahid Halilhodzic

Matchday 5 fixtures15 November

Group A:Korea Republic-UzbekistanChina PR-QatarSyria-Iran

Group B:Thailand-AustraliaJapan-Saudi ArabiaUnited Arab Emirates-Iraq

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