DOHA: Iraq stormed to shock Asian Cup glory in 2007 against the backdrop of war, but they will have to spring another major upset if they are to repeat the emotional feat in Qatar.
The Iraqi team made headlines worldwide and were welcomed home as heroes after they defeated Saudi Arabia 1-0 in Jakarta four years ago to momentarily take the spotlight off the violence in their war-ravaged country.
But they face a stiff task to even make it to the knockout stages this time after they were drawn in a highly competitive Group D that also includes arch rivals Iran, World Cup finalists North Korea and United Arab Emirates.
Experienced coach Wolfgang Sidka, who has only been in the job since the summer, has kept the bulk of the squad that brought Iraq its greatest ever football triumph, complemented by a sprinkling of young prospects.
However, it remains to be seen if the former Werder Bremen coach has had enough time to get his footballing philosophy across to his charges and they are not among the favourites in Qatar.
Sidka is making no promises.
“I think we should try to do it (win the tournament) again,” said the German, who has extensive coaching experience in the region.
“But first we have the match with Iran – and thats our neighbours and our rivals – and then our target is to reach the quarter-finals.
“We have a tough group also with North Korea, who played at the World Cup, and also UAE, who played well at the Gulf Cup even though they were missing a lot of players, so lets see.
“We’ll try to reach the quarter-finals and then we will see.”
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