Asian Cup — Tips and bets

Iran have so far waltzed through Group D; they made light work of beaten Yemen on match-day one, while the Vietnam were also no match for Carlos Queiroz’s men.
Two wins, seven goals scored, back-to-back clean sheets, Iran have impressed as much as anyone over the first two match-days. On match-day one, Tea Melli thrashed Yemen by five goals to nil, as they made light work of creating chances, scoring goals and keeping things tight at the back. They weren’t as exuberant against Vietnam on match-day two, but they comfortably score two goals and nullified their opponents with minimal fuss.
It’s no exaggeration to say that Iran have been the most impressive team from an attacking point of view. It is still early days, so the numbers should be taken with a pinch of salt, but Queiroz’s side currently rank as the best team in the competition in terms of both goals scored and expected goals for. They’re also one of only five teams to have kept back-to-back clean sheets, while only two teams have conceded less expected goals. All round, the Iranians have made a very pleasing start to the tournament.
Iraq haven’t looked quite as good as Iran, but that’s not to say that they’ve been poor. Srečko Katanec’s men have also won each of their first two matches, while they too have looked good going forward. Iraq notched three goals against Vietnam on match-day two, while they also found the net on three occasions against Yemen.
However, where Iraq’s efforts have differed from Iran’s is at the back. Yemen are a very weak side offensively, so it’s no surprise that the Iraqis came under little pressure, though they didn’t look all that secure when beating Vietnam.
Iraq can get forward and make things happen, so it would be unsurprising if they became the first team to really test the Iran back-line at this tournament, but their efforts against Vietnam suggest that they lack the defensive quality to contain one of the best attacks in the tournament.

The Aussies are yet to really hit their stride at this tournament, but even without playing overly well, they’ve shown that they can take advantage of poor defending. Unless UAE tighten up, then the reigning Asian Cup champions should have few problems moving one step closer to retaining their crown.
After toiling for 180 minutes, Australia, who huffed and puffed but were unable to blow Uzbekistan’s house down, also got this far thanks to a penalty shootout, though their efforts in the previous round were more impressive than UAE’s.
Regardless of how we look at this fixture, it’s easy to see that Australia, even without being at their best (whatever that may be nowadays), have offered a good bit more than their hosts. In fact, if this tournament was not in the United Arab Emirates, then the Socceroos would probably be a good bit shorter in the betting. On this basis, punters can’t be blamed for backing the visitors to come out on top.

It was all very easy for South Korea in the groups. Paulo Bento’s men barely got out of first gear when beating the Philippines by a goal to nil first time out, while they didn’t need to do too much more to beat either Kyrgyzstan or China. After three easy wins, one of the pre-tournament favourites will be looking to continue moving in the right direction.
Quite simply, the South Koreans have far more to offer than their opponents on Tuesday, at both ends of the pitch. A disparity in quality is expected to be apparent right from the word go and punters can profit by backing South Korea -1 handicap. Bento’s side are yet to concede a goal at this tournament and Bahrain have shown nothing to suggest that they can put the Reds under enough pressure to find the back of the net, while South Korea have more than enough forward quality to hurt an opposing back-line that has looked shaky against lesser attacks.

When the draw was made, the South Koreans probably fancied themselves to emerge from Group C with minimal fuss, though China have so far led the way and currently sit top thanks to their superior goal difference. South Korea must win this match if they’re to advance as group winners.
Given that they’re one of the most prestigious nations at this tournament (in footballing terms), South Korea were expected to make light work of reaching the knockout rounds, though the way in which they won their opening two games was far from impressive. A 1-0 win was all they could manage against the Philippines on match-day one, while they could only score a single goal when defeating Kyrgyzstan last time out. Unsurprisingly, Paulo Bento’s men dominated against both Philippines and Kyrgyzstan, while they did create a reasonable amount of scoring opportunities, though their end-product was lacking. The boss will be hoping that the addition of star player Son Heung-min, who has now joined up with the squad, will help in that respect.
Against Kyrgyzstan on match-day one, South Korea did create plenty, as they clocked a useful expected-goals for figure of 2.62, though they didn’t look overly sharp at the back. On that occasion, they gave up a few chances, as the fact that they ended the game having conceded 1.61 expected goals suggests. A better side than Kyrgyzstan would’ve made them pay. With marksman Wu Lei in their ranks, China have shown that they can score goals, so Bento’s men will need to sharpen up at the back.
From a creativity point of view, China, despite scoring three more goals than Wednesday’s opponents, haven’t quite offered as much as South Korea. The Chinese are currently averaging 1.49 expected goals for, while Korea are averaging 2.26. Such numbers tell us that Korea have more about them offensively, though it is the Dragons who’ve made lighter work of getting the ball in the net. At the other end of the pitch, China have looked the better side. In terms of opportunities, against Kyrgyzstan, Marcello Lippi’s men conceded less than South Korea, who shipped 1.61 expected goals compared to just 0.82 conceded by the Chinese. What’s more, China gave up just 0.05 against Philippines, who mustered 0.46 against South Korea.
From what we’ve seen so far, it’s fair to say that South Korea are a better side than China in possession, while they seem to be that bit more creative. However, they’ve looked more open at the back and have not exactly made light work of making their dominance pay. On this basis, it’s easy to feel that the visitors have been slightly underestimated in the early betting.

Defeat to China means that Kyrgyzstan really need to take at least a point from Friday’s game against Korea Republic to stand any chance of making the top two in Group C and qualifying for the knockout stage. Korea Republic have three points on the board, but weren’t entirely convincing against the Philippines and only won the game by one goal to nil.
Kyrgyzstan gave China PR a run for their money on Monday, leading at the break through a forty-second minute goal from Israilov. However, this proved to be a false dawn for the underdogs as an own goal from goalkeeper Matiash brought China back onto level terms five minutes into the second half and substitute Yu Dabao netted a winning goal for the favourites twelve minutes from time. The two teams shared the overall possession and Kyrgyzstan actually had more shots during the ninety minutes, but the difference in quality between the two countries told in the end.
Korea Republic certainly made hard work of their first group game against the Philippines, despite dominating the entire ninety minutes. Korea had 76% of the possession over the ninety minutes and twice as many shots on target as the Philippines, but the teams went in goalless at the half time interval. Just before the hour mark Korea Republic started to make their substitutions and it wasn’t long before they had the desired effect. The Philippines didn’t do enough to deserve anything from the match, but can be proud of their efforts against a far superior team, and on another day might have been lucky enough to pinch a point.
I’m confident that Korea Republic will win to nil against Kyrgyzstan, and have backed the final scoreline to end 2-0. Korea Republic have won three of their last six matches and have clean sheets in their last three internationals. Kyrgyzstan have lost three of their last six matches and have failed to score in two of their last four internationals played outside of their country, which is why we can’t see them stopping Korea Republic on Friday.

Qatar didn’t have the toughest group to emerge from, though they must be given credit for getting the job done with minimal fuss. Félix Sánchez Bas’ men come into this first knockout match having won three out of three at this tournament, while they’ve scored ten goals and have conceded none in the process. Such numbers are certainly encouraging.
In scoring ten goals, Qatar have looked useful in the final third; they’ve looked good in possession, have created chances and have had absolutely no problem applying the finishing touches.
Iraq also showed plenty of promise during the group stages. Srečko Katanec’s men won their opening two games and thus booked their place in this round with a game to spare. They weren’t overly impressive when drawing 0-0 against a very good Iran side on match-day three, but they didn’t give too much away and ultimately avoided defeat in a match that they didn’t need to win.
In the betting, Both Teams to Score, which has yielded a profit in each of the last four renewals of this fixture, stands out.

Pelos últimos confrontos entres essas duas equipes houveram mais de dois gols, acredito nessa expectativa l, vou de over 1.5!!!

Australia was expected to keep a clean sheet in this match. So don't be surprise see the match end up 2.0...

Наследие Башара Асада подсказывает, что Сирия не может выиграть...