Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Jakarta: Now that the draw is done and Indonesia know their opponents for the AFC U-19 Championship 2018, head coach Indra Sjafri wants to get down to the business of thoroughly preparing his squad.
Hosts Indonesia will be facing two former champions - 2008 winners United Arab Emirates and Qatar (2014), alongside Chinese Taipei, in Group A of the tournament which will be held on October 18-November 4.
“After knowing the draw results, we can start preparing the team to be more focused,” said Sjafri.
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Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Jakarta: Even before the dust could settle on the AFC U-19 Championship Indonesia 2018 Final Draw on Friday, Saudi Arabia team manager Omar Alghmadi had already set his target.
The two-time champions and 2016 runners-up were drawn with Tajikistan, China PR and Malaysia in Group D.
“We expect to play against tough teams, but our main goal is to reach the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 2019,” revealed Alghmadi.
“We have to respect all the teams we are playing against, and hopefully we can perform well in this Championship.
“All the teams are competitive, and some of them play fast, others are physically stronger and tougher than our players, but as I’ve mentioned, our aim is go to the U-20 World Cup and we are focusing to claim one of the four spots.”
Saudi Arabia performed spectacularly in the Qualifiers, recording three wins to secure their spot in the Finals as Group D winners.
“The players have been playing together for a while and know one another very well. They followed the tactics of the coach, and our coach knows how to give each and every player their specific task.
“The players performed well (in the Qualifiers), and hopefully by the time we begin playing here in October, we will do better than the qualifiers.”
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Jakarta: It was the best draw possible, said head coach Bojan Hodak, as Malaysia avoided his personal 'big teams' in the AFC U-19 Championship on Friday.
The Southeast Asians will face 2016 runners-up Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan and China PR in Group D in the tournament, which kicks off in Jakarta on October 18.
“All 16 teams participating teams are very tough, but for me personally, I was hoping we would avoid Japan, Korea Republic and Iraq, who I think are the best teams,” said the 47-year-old Croatian coach.
However, he acknowledged Malaysia's group rivals would pose a stiff challenge for his team.
“Although we avoided the teams I wanted to avoid, we have a tough group with Saudi Arabia, China and Tajikistan. Three good teams with us who I’m sure we can make life difficult for.
“Saudi Arabia had a great result in the last tournament and they always have a good generation of young footballers, so I think they will be the toughest, while China has invested a lot of money and Tajikistan also has a good generation. Any of these 16 teams are not easy.”
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Jakarta: The race for the 40th AFC U-19 Championship title has begun as the top 16 teams in the Continent discovered their opponents, following the official draw in Jakarta on Friday.
Indonesia, who will be hosting the prestigious tournament for the third time and having been crowned champions in 1961, will go up against United Arab Emirates, 2014 champions Qatar and Chinese Taipei in Group A.
Defending champions Japan, who earned their first title in the previous edition, will face Thailand, DPR Korea and Iraq, who have won the title five times in Group B.
Twelve-time champions Korea Republic, suffered heartbreak in 2016 when they narrowly missed out on the Knockout Stage due to goal difference, will be aiming to do better against Vietnam, Australia and Jordan in Group C.