2018 FIFA WORLD CUP / 2019 AFC ASIAN CUP QUALIFIERS

Kuala Lumpur: As the dust settles on the highly entertaining quarter-final 1st leg matches in the AFC Champions League and AFC Cup, Asia’s finest have no time to bask in their victories or reflect on defeat ahead of the return fixtures, with attention now turning to international duty and Matchdays 3 and 4 of the 2018 FIFA World Cup/2019 AFC Asian Cup joint-qualifiers coming up.

Group D
Guam, Oman, Iran, Turkmenistan, India

September 3
Iran v Guam: Venue: Enghelab Stadium, Karaj
Oman v Turkmenistan: Venue: Seeb Sports Complex, Muscat

September 8
Guam v Oman: Venue: Guam FA Field, Guam
India v Iran: Venue: Sree Kanteerava Stadium, Bangalore

Unheralded Guam have been the surprise package of the joint-qualifiers so far with their first ever FIFA World Cup qualifying win - a 1-0 triumph over Turkmenistan - followed by an even more impressive 2-1 win over six-time South Asian champions India.

But Gary White’s side face the biggest test of their credentials yet when the Pacific Ocean Islanders face Asia’s top-ranked team Iran in Karaj before returning to the more familiar surroundings of the Guam FA National Training Centre as the Matao plays host to an Oman side who will be looking to head to Harmon on the back of a home win against Turkmenistan.

Oman began their Group D campaign with a 2-1 win over India in Bangalore to continue what hasn’t been the happiest of returns for head coach Stephen Constantine. The Englishman did steer India comfortably through Preliminary Round 1 with a victory over another of his former employers Nepal, but after the defeats to Guam and Oman the pressure is on Constantine to restore confidence when they host three-time Asian champions Iran in Bangalore on Matchday 4.

the-afc.com