Moriyasu, who serves as both the Olympic and senior men’s national team coach, led the country’s U24 squad to fourth place at Tokyo 2020 after guiding the Samurai Blue into the AFC Asian Qualifiers - Road to Qatar with a perfect record.

The Japanese won all eight of their games in Group F to advance and the former Sanfrecce Hiroshima boss is now looking to successfully merge his two squads as the country pushes for a seventh straight FIFA World Cup qualification.

Asia's elite national teams booked their spots in the AFC Asian Qualifiers - Road to Qatar after a gruelling and mentally taxing second round heavily impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Join the-AFC.com as we take a look at players who can change the outcome of matches for their teams in Group A.

Asia's elite national teams booked their spots in the AFC Asian Qualifiers - Road to Qatar after a gruelling and mentally taxing second round heavily impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Join the-AFC.com as we take a look at players who can change the outcome of matches for their teams in Group B.

There will be 12 teams competing for four direct tickets to the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and we present some of the key facts and figures that give further colour and context to the campaigns that are set to play out on the Road to Qatar.

Korea Republic have eased through the AFC Asian Qualifiers so far, winning Group H with five wins and a draw, scoring 22 and conceding just once, but the competition is set to step up a gear in a Group A that features some difficult encounters, not least Thursday's Matchday One opponents Iraq.

Veteran Dutch coach Advocaat, 73, was appointed to the helm at the beginning of August and, as such, will bring with him a wealth of experience and a new-look and approach to a team that is already bristling with talent. Korea Republic coach Paulo Bento is well-aware of the challenge of the unknown that his charges face.

Today, more than 35 years on, Mahrous is back with the Qasioun Eagles, having been appointed national team coach prior to the AFC Asian Qualifiers - Road to Qatar. Ahead lies an opportunity to make up for that disappointment all those years ago and fulfil the nation’s long-awaited dream of reaching the big stage.

Indeed, the Southeast Asians had long been the pushovers in Asian qualifying, having invariably suffered early exits over the past two decades.

Under Korea Republic's Park Hang-seo, however, the Golden Star Warriors have emerged a different side in this campaign, powering through the second round from a group which also featured United Arab Emirates, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia.