Comments on Indonesia vs Iraq:
Before the 2024 Asian Cup, Indonesia had very poor preparation. Coach Shin Tae-yong and his team lost 2 matches to Libya (1-2 and 0-4) and lost to Iran 0-5.
Previously, in the second qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup in Asia, Indonesia also did not have as good results as expected. Indonesia lost to Iraq 1-5 and then drew 1-1 with the Philippines.
Iraq is rated higher than Indonesia. Photo: SPORT
The 1-5 defeat to Iraq showed that Indonesia is much inferior to its opponents in terms of expertise. Therefore, in the rematch of the 2024 Asian Cup today (January 15), Indonesia will be under great pressure.
In 5 matches from 1973 to present, Iraq has won 4 matches against Indonesia. When playing a friendly match to prepare for the 2024 Asian Cup, Iraq only narrowly lost 0-1 to South Korea, whose squad includes many stars playing in Europe.
Last night (January 14), Vietnam National Team played the first match of Group D and only lost 2-4 to Japan. What the Vietnamese team has shown shows that coach Philippe and his team have real strength that cannot be underestimated.
Therefore, Iraq will have to be very focused to overcome Indonesia and even need a big win to temporarily move to the top of the group, creating an advantage for the next match against Japan. Meanwhile, Indonesia must also make every effort to limit losses before thinking about winning 1 point as coach Shin Tae-yong said earlier.
The possibility of Iraq winning strongly against Indonesia is entirely possible. Photo: SPORT
In terms of force, Indonesia lacks Andy Setyo and Yakob Sayuri due to injury. For Iraq, they do not have Danilo Al Saed due to injury, and Saad Natiq is left open to play.
With quite a difference in ability between the two teams, it is likely that Iraq will play offensively from the beginning. Although Indonesia played hard, it was difficult for the Southeast Asian team to avoid a heavy loss.
Expected lineup Indonesia vs Iraq:
Indonesia: Ernando Ari, Jordi Amat, Elkan Baggott, Rizky Ridho, Ivar Jenner, Justin Hubner, Yakob Sayuri, Pratama, Witan Sulaeman, Marselino Ferdinand, Rafael Struick.
Iraq: Jalal Hassan, Mustafa Saadoon, Frans Puttros, Rebin Sulaka, Hussein Ali, Amjad Atwan, Bashar Rasan, Hassan Kareem, Osama Rashid, Ibrahim Bayesh, Ali Hamadi.
