The Englishman, who has been in charge of the Indian side since January 2015, will be going head-to-head with Thailand coach Milovan Rajevac for the first time in almost a decade, with the experienced Serb having come out ahead the last time they met.

“He is a very good coach and has great experience, I faced him a few years ago when he was in Ghana and I was with Sudan, he won that game 2-0 so I’m looking to even up the score,” Constantine told the-AFC.com.

“But I would like to remind you that he had Michael Essien, Mathew Amoa and a few other very good players.

As the only remaining member of the side that reached the 2011 edition, which ended a hiatus that exceeded a quarter of a century, bombastic platitudes would be an easy card to play. But talking up potential upsets and derailing the continental giants are far from the 34-year-old’s priorities. The big picture is what dominates his outlook.

“I was really dejected when we missed out on the last edition,” he admitted to FIFA.com.

“I think it’s very, very important for a country like us to keep qualifying for this big tournament, because that tells you where you are and if you’re doing well.

“It also gives you a chance to rub shoulders with the biggest teams in Asia. If you do well, other teams take notice of you.”

Thailand last played at the continental championship when the country co-hosted the 2007 edition with Vietnam, Malaysia and Indonesia and they have been drawn to face hosts the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and India in Group A.

In six previous appearances, the War Elephants have only progressed beyond the group phase once – that was in 1972 when they finished in third position – but with Rajevac able to add Chanathip Songkrasin (pictured above), Teerasil Dangda and Theerathon Bunmathan to his squad, the Serb is confident his team can have a successful January.

The Bahrain Football Association (BFA) has set two friendly matches for the national team this month.

The first will be against Tajikistan on December 20, and the second against DPR Korea on December 29. Both matches will be played in Bahrain.

In a wide-ranging interview with the-AFC.com, the globetrotting German boss discussed his return to football, his inside knowledge of Group B opponents Australia and the steely resolve of his playing group.

Stange has seen it all - and had seemingly seen enough when he decided to call time on his decorated career in July 2016 - but the veteran tactician simply couldn't shake his love affair with the game, coming out of retirement to lead Syria's campaign at UAE 2019.

Ould Ali, now eight months into his tenure as head coach, will guide Palestine in their second appearance in the competition following their 2015 debut on the continental stage in Australia.

Speaking to the-AFC.com, the Algerian tactician revealed the desire of his players to provide happiness for Palestinians around the world with their performances in the United Arab Emirates.

Never has the sound of a football cannoning off the woodwork sounded as loud as it did on the evening of December 21, 1996 as the 60,000 fans present at Abu Dhabi’s Zayed Sport City were reduced to utter silence, watching their team’s top goalscorer in the tournament hit the post from 12 yards.

The finest of margins had just denied the UAE a historic victory in the final of the 1996 AFC Asian Cup against neighbours Saudi Arabia. Hassan Saeed was still holding his head in his hands, the 50 yard-walk to the halfway line feeling like a thousand miles as Khalid Al Muallad slotted home the winning penalty for the Green Falcons.