"Green" and "Samurai" at the start of the final

After qualifying for the 2019 Asian Cup, the 16th round of the tournament in the UAE will see them retire at the start of the playoffs, against Japan and Saudi Arabia.

The two teams will meet at the Sharjah stadium for a match that will be different from the first round, where the Green Hawks and Blue Samurai are not allowed to go out to avoid a premature exit.

Both teams hold seven titles in the continental competition (four for Japan and three for Saudi Arabia, more recently in 1996) and rank among the best players on the continent, anticipating further their future confrontation.

Saudi Arabia, led by Argentine Juan Antonio Pietzi, made a promising start in the current tournament, with a team without a free spear. The Chilean coach, who led Chile to Copa America's 2016 title in the first half of the tournament, defeated midfielder Salim Al Dosari, Fahd Al-Muhlad and Hattan Pahbari before sinking 2 -0 against Qatar. Zero. In addition, Japan won the Group F mark and released it after an unconvincing and lucky victory over Turkmenistan 3-2, Oman 1-0, Uzbekistan 2-1.

The positive factor in Hajimi Moribado's attacking mind is the availability of a reserve capable of compensating for any absence in the starting formation of the last phase of the group stage with a completely different combination, which suggests that Japan is trying to save its efforts for the playoffs. Which will appear from the Saudi match.

This will be the sixth day between the teams of the Asian Championship, Saudi Arabia lost (zero -1 in the final of 1992, 1-4 in the first edition of the 2000 version and zero -1 in the final, and zero – 5 in the first round of the 2011 version) by winning once in the 2007 semifinal with a score of 3.2. After the disappointment of his departure to Australia in 2015, Pittzi tries to turn the disappointing participation page at the 2018 World Cup with a first-round defeat after two defeats and an orphan victory. The Argentine coach needs to focus on the line of defense against the role of the 16 th he wants to move to the quarter-finals After the Qatar match: "I think I'm facing Japan now." At the next match, we start We are ready, like Japan and any other team, to qualify for the second round. "The line of defense was not supposed to come this way (against Qatar). But I insist that defense was not the only problem. "

Japan, meanwhile, has a host of talents, such as veteran Yugo Nagatomo, Hiroki Sakai, Yuya Osako and Yoshinori Mutu. The experience of the leader Maya Yoshida will be necessary given the dependence of the team vis-à-vis the young element.