Saudi Arabia may lead the Arab challenge at the Asian Cup, which opens in Qatar on Friday, but there is also the small problem of a challenge from the east.

Any team with ambitions of lifting the trophy will need to get past Japan or South Korea, or perhaps both. We need Roberto Mancini and his players to perform at their best.

It’s not just East vs. West, it’s a clash between teams with big stars playing for elite clubs in Europe’s biggest leagues and teams based entirely within the country.

Currently, Japan is not only the best team in Asia, but also one of the best teams in the world, certainly higher than their current 17th place in the rankings. At the World Cup, Samurai Blue defeated Spain and Germany, the 2010 and 2014 champions, and really should have done so. They defeated Croatia in the second round, but lost on penalties. Japan is the only country in Asia that thinks the second round of the World Cup was a bit of a disappointment.

The team has continued to improve. In the last nine games, the four-time Asian champions not only won, but also scored 39 goals. Their 4-1 away win over Germany last September was one of the best results, if not the best, in a friendly by an Asian team.

That victory over the four-time world champions may have caught the eye, but there are other scorelines that should worry Qatar’s other 23 nations. It was the third consecutive 5-0 victory. The first game was at home to a weak Myanmar team, while the remaining two games were against Syria in another World Cup qualifier in Jeddah, followed by a warm-up match against Thailand.

Both teams have genuine ambitions to reach the final tournament of the Asia Cup. Syria may not be the team that almost qualified for the 2018 World Cup, but they are a solid continental opponent, coached by former Inter and Valencia manager Hector Cuper, but they were beaten. Then, on January 1st, Thailand, the strongest team in Southeast Asia, arrived. They were goalless at halftime, but then Japan stepped up a gear and that was it.

Thailand’s new coach, Masatadi Ishii, was impressed, saying, “There’s a big difference between the two teams.”

“I’ve only seen Japanese games on TV so far, but when you play against them up close, you really notice their speed and accuracy,” he added.

Japan, who has won the tournament four times, is the favorite to win, but South Korea, which is ranked 23rd, is also undefeated. They beat Portugal to reach the last 16 of the 2022 World Cup, and although they haven’t had as impressive a run as their regional rivals since losing to Brazil, they do have some of the biggest stars in Asian football.

Son Heung-min is currently tied for second in the English Premier League this season with 12 goals. The Tottenham Hotspur captain is not the only Korean player in the world’s most expensive league. Hwang Hee-chan has scored 10 goals for Wolverhampton Wanderers, ranking him sixth on the scoring list and is on many clubs’ shopping lists.

Directly behind the forward is Lee Kang-in, a very talented and creative midfielder who has settled at Paris Saint-Germain, and further behind Lee Kang-in is Kim Min-jae. The big centre-back won the Serie A title with Napoli before joining Bayern Munich, becoming the first Asian defender to be nominated for the Ballon d’Or. Jurgen Klinsmann is talented enough to work with.

Mancini also won the English Premier League and Serie A as a manager, as well as the European Championship in 2021. His experience winning international tournaments means Saudi Arabia is not to be underestimated either.

The 56th-ranked Green Falcons may not have a full roster of European stars, but the entire team plays and competes against some of the best players in the world every week.

There is no doubt that the influx of foreigners has helped improve the level of many Saudi players. Saud Abdulhamid made a big impression at the World Cup, but Al Hilal’s right-back side plays alongside the likes of Aleksandar Mitrovic, Neymar, Ruben Neves, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Kalidou Koulibaly and Yacine Bounou. It’s just grown since then. Then there are his Saudi teammates Salem Al Dausari and Mohamed Kanno.

For Saudi Arabia, it’s every week these days that they face big stars on the pitch.

Defending champions Qatar and UAE seem to be lacking in strength, so a three-time champion is the Arab world’s best bet. Iran is another candidate in the region. Team Melli, ranked 21st in the rankings, has one of Asia’s top strikers, Mehdi Taremi, who has played extensively in Portugal’s FC Porto and the Champions League. Sardar Azmoun is at Brentford, along with Roma and Saman Ghods.

Big challenges are likely to come from elsewhere, and Mancini isn’t the only one who knows he’ll have to deal with East Asian stars at some point on his way to Asia Cup glory. do not have.