The likely scenario for Iran in the Asian Cup 2007

[Doctor DOOM]

despite what we "like" to believe, things are a bit different out there.
china is A .
I dont like it. but that doesnt change anything.
whole asia & AFC thinks so too.

& uzbeks are equal to oman?
ummm.. ok !!!!


I dont know. but basic mathematics says probability of drawing a particular ball among 6 balls is less than that of among 4 balls.
plz redirect all inconveniences & complaints to the concerned mathematic authorities. not me.

[faraz]

How is reaching the final four more difficult, I find that absolutely absurd????

China - B-team at best. They are one level below the big 5 and calling them an "A-team" is simply not appropriate. They are decently strong, but we should still look to win without too many problems. One major issue here is the "revenge" aspect. You and I both know when it's about "revenge", we not only perform, we absolutely kill.

Uzbekistan - Also a B-team. We should also look to win this match. They are equivalent to Oman at present time, mb even worse.

Malaysia - a C team no matter if they're the hosts or not. Simply no match for TM.


And in 04:

Japan - THEY WON THE TOURNY!

Oman - B team. They showed they are capable of competing with strong sides. I'll bet that they'll cause the Aussies some trouble too.

Thailand - B team. We practically man-handled them, but i'll never forget our 2 draws against them in WCQ many years ago. You can never underestimate this team.

Now you're going to argue that we have a HARDER group this time around??

Now in terms of KSA or Australia, it'll make the tournament tougher only past the quarter final stage. And even then, playing China IN China (where they clearly had support from the refs, were used to the weather, the pitch, and many other things) may be just as difficult as playing KSA or Australia in Malaysia/Indonesia or wherever the final is planned.

If we play KSA in the quarters, i'd say that's even easier than south korea of 04.

[Doctor DOOM]

If we had gotten the calls, we'd be in the....

faraz jan, " If we had gotten the calls," we'd have been ELIMINATED AT GROUP STAGE ITSELF !!!

we'd have finished the oman game 2-1 down (or worse ) w 3 men red carded !


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japan's game was the turning point 4 me.
we SHOULD have been aggressive instead of passive & wimpy, settling for the draw.
we played an ultra-cautious game against japan, when we shd have attacked and I believe we had the guns to take them down.

becoz it was always better to face jordan than korea. logic and common-sense dictates that.
it was even more imperative since if we consider in the semis, we'd be facing the hosts !!!
it's a different matter that karimi bailed us out against korea.
but ANY coach with enough brains would follow logic.

maybe branko was so scared of jordan ( he had just lost to them recently , at azadi )! but that's just another reason for his wimpy tag.

not to mention it was an opportunity to beat japan, a team we hadnt beaten in quite some time.
but as we have it, the coach ..... aaah never mind !



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and how is our group easier?
we have an asian A team - china
a strong B team w pedigree - uzbeks
and the HOSTS

then, we had an A side- japan
a C side - thailand
and an up and coming C-to-B side - oman


and are you discounting the strength of KSA & australia that you say reaching the final 4 is not more difficult.
AC04 had : iran, china, japan, korea as favorites.
AC07 has: those 4 + KSA & Aussies

errrr....reaching the final 4 of which one is easier, again ?

[faraz]

thanks for the dates and times, mate.

I, personally, think a semifinal berth is quite an achievement .

I beleive we have what it takes to go through the group stage.
quarters as u said is very difficult.
if we win this game, I say we've achieved a great feat & surpassed our previous performances by leaps and bounds. ( let us remember the last time, AC04, KSA wasnt there and aussies hadnt joined yet! )

We still had quite a tough route last time anyway. If we had gotten the calls, we'd be in the final against Japan, a team against whom I think we did quite well during the group stage. I don't really think reaching the semi's this year will be harder than reaching the semi's in AC04 by any means. In fact, our group is much easier than 04 too.

I saw we'll for sure top our group, and perhaps beat South Korea or KSA, not so sure about that one. Reaching the semi's will be more than enough for me personally.

[BehzadB]

if we finish 2nd in our group, we don't face Australia until the final..

I say that because, C2 plays QF4 and QF4 plays QF3.. and QF3 is the winner of B1/A2 (B1 should be Japan)..

is that right?

anyways, it might not matter at all, but I feel better avoiding Australis as much as possible.

[Doctor DOOM]

thanks for the dates and times, mate.

I, personally, think a semifinal berth is quite an achievement .

I beleive we have what it takes to go through the group stage.
quarters as u said is very difficult.
if we win this game, I say we've achieved a great feat & surpassed our previous performances by leaps and bounds. ( let us remember the last time, AC04, KSA wasnt there and aussies hadnt joined yet! )

[Paradigm]

Here are the groups:
A. Australia, Iraq, Oman, Thailand
B. Japan, Qatar, UAE, Vietnam
C. China, Iran, Uzbekistan, Malaysia
D. Bahrain, Indonesia, South Korea, KSA
Australia and Japan will most likely be able to top their groups and will both have the relatively easier 1/4-final matches, playing with the 2nd placed teams in groups B and A respectively. (Probably Australia vs Qatar, and Japan vs Iraq.)
Iran if they manage to come out of the group stage, will regardless have a tough 1/4-final, almost surely having to face off either South Korea or KSA. Assuming a win, TM then has yet to encounter Australia in the semi-finals, while Japan will get the easier opponent in either SK or KSA.
If all goes according to this prediction, the final will be again featuring Japan versus either Australia or Iran. It will be a very tough road for TM to win this cup, but I am hoping the boys can handle it. We have had this stigma of losing in the semi-finals and that is what's keeping me on the pragmatic side.
MatchDay 1
7/7/07 19:35 Thailand v Iraq
Rajamangala National Stadium, Bangkok, THA
8/7/07 17:20 Australia v Oman
Rajamangala National Stadium, Bangkok, THA
19:35 Vietnam v UAE
My Dinh National Stadium, Hanoi, VIE
9/7/07 17:20 Japan v Qatar
My Dinh National Stadium, Hanoi, VIE
10/7/07 17:20 Indonesia v Bahrain
Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, Jakarta, IDN
20:35 Malaysia v China
National Stadium Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur, MAS
11/7/07 18:20 Iran v Uzbekistan
National Stadium Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur, MAS
19:35 Korea Republic v Saudi Arabia
Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, Jakarta, IDN
MatchDay 2
12/7/07 17:20 Oman v Thailand
Rajamangala National Stadium, Bangkok, THA
19:35 Qatar v Vietnam
My Dinh National Stadium, Hanoi, VIE
13/7/07 17:20 Iraq v Australia
Rajamangala National Stadium, Bangkok, THA
20:35 UAE v Japan
My Dinh National Stadium, Hanoi, VIE
14/7/07 18:20 Uzbekistan v Malaysia
National Stadium Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur, MAS
19:35 Saudi Arabia v Indonesia
Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, Jakarta, IDN
15/7/07 18:20 China v Iran
National Stadium Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur, MAS
19:35 Bahrain v Korea Republic
Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, Jakarta, IDN
MatchDay 3
16/7/07 17:20 Qatar v UAE
Army Stadium, Ho Chi Minh City, VIE
17:20 Vietnam v Japan
My Dinh National Stadium, Hanoi, VIE
19:35 Thailand v Australia
Rajamangala National Stadium, Bangkok, THA
19:35 Oman v Iraq
Supachalasai Stadium, Bangkok, THA
18/7/07 17:20 Indonesia v Korea Republic
Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, Jakarta, IDN
17:20 Saudi Arabia v Bahrain
Jaka Baring Stadium, Palembang, IDN
20:35 Malaysia v Iran
National Stadium Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur, MAS
20:35 Uzbekistan v China
Shah Alam Stadium, Kuala Lumpur, MAS
MatchDay 4
21/7/07
17:20 Quarter-Final 3
My Dinh National Stadium, Hanoi, VIE B 1st v A 2nd
20:20 Quarter-Final 1
Rajamangala National Stadium, Bangkok, THA A 1st v B 2nd
22/7/07
18:20 Quarter-Final 2
National Stadium Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur, MAS C 1st v D 2nd
20:20 Quarter-Final 4
Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, Jakarta, IDN D 1st v C 2nd
MatchDay 5
25/7/07
18:20 Semi-Final 1
National Stadium Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur, MAS Winner QF1 v Winner QF2
20:20 Semi-Final 2
My Dinh National Stadium, Hanoi, VIE Winner QF3 v Winner QF4
MatchDay 6
28/7/07
19:35 3/4th Place
Jaka Baring Stadium, Palembang, IDN Loser SF1 v Loser SF2
MatchDay 7
29/7/07
19:35 Final
Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, Jakarta, IDN Winner SF1 v Winner SF2
All match times are local to venue. The chart is taken from

http://www.afcasiancup.com/en/tournament/fixtures.asp