July 25, 2007	Wednesday	Rajab 09, 1428

HANOI, July 24: Japan coach Ivica Osim has warned that the defending champions will face an unknown quantity when they clash with long-time rivals Saudi Arabia in their Asian Cup semi-final on Wednesday.

Both teams are looking for a record fourth continental title with Japan beating the Saudis 3-1 at home in their last meeting in November to avenge a 1-0 loss away two months earlier.

“They are a completely new team with only the goalkeeper and four other players held over from our last game,” said Osim.

“They are more aggressive and play modern football. They have a number of players whom we may find difficult to deal with,” added the 66-year-old Bosnian, who led the former Yugoslavia to the 1990 World Cup quarter-finals.

Saudi Arabia, who last won the title in 1996 but failed to reach the knockout stage in 2004 for the first time in two decades, have shown solid form through the tournament, whipping Uzbekistan 2-1 in the quarter-finals. They posted two wins and a draw in the group stage.

“We'll have a very, very big game as both teams are similar in style and powerhouses of Asian football,” said Saudi coach Helio Dos Anjos, who has shaken up the squad after replacing fellow Brazilian Marcos Paquetta in March.

He said his side's loss to the Blue Samurai in November doesn't matter at all. “We are a new team and we have a chance to win,” he said.

But Dos Anjos admitted his side was not as prepared as Japan after being forced to travel 12 hours from Jakarta following Sunday's quarter-final to arrive here just 48 hours before the match. In contrast, Japan have been in Hanoi for nearly three weeks and beat Australia on penalties in their last-eight match on Saturday, giving them plenty of time for rest and recovery.

Yasser Al Qahtani leads the Saudi strikeforce alongside Malek Alhawsawi with Japan's hardman centre back Yuji Nakazawa tasked with keeping them at bay.

Japan and Celtic playmaker Shunsuke Nakamura said his side must stop the Saudis from launching lightening counterattacks, as they have done so successfully in the tournament so far.

“They charge forth all at once and go on to shoot,” said the 29-year-old Scottish Player of the Year, whose free kicks helped Celtic win the Scottish Premier League title last season.

Nakamura, who will link up with Frankfurt striker Naohiro Takahara on Japan's offensive, set up the sole goal in their defeat of Saudi Arabia 1-0 in the 2000 Asian Cup finals. Saudi Arabia also lost to Japan in the 1992 final.

Meanwhile, something has to give when South Korea, chasing their first finals' appearance in 19 years, and Iraq, playing in only their second-ever Asian Cup semi-final, collide in Kuala Lumpur also on Wednesday.

The Koreans, two-time winners but bidding for their first success since 1960, are backing up from last Sunday's exhausting win on penalties over Iran.

They take on tournament surprises Iraq, who have thrilled their war-ravaged people with their successes.

A place in next Sunday's final in Jakarta beckons against either tournament favourites Japan or Saudi Arabia, who play their semi-final in Hanoi also on Wednesday.

Korea's Dutch coach Pim Verbeek believes his team are up against an outstanding generation of Iraqi footballers.

“Iraq is not an easy team to play,” he said. “They reached the semi-final of the 2004 Athens Olympics, they were in the final of last year's Asian Games and they were in the semi-finals of the Gulf Cup.

“They beat Australia, they are in the semi-final, so I think this is a very good generation of Iraqi footballers.”

South Korea have timed their run to the business end of the tournament after drawing with the Saudis and losing to Bahrain in Jakarta before finishing second in their group with a pressure 1-0 win over co-hosts Indonesia.

But their tournament chances improved after they slogged it out with three-time winners Iran over 120 minutes before prevailing on penalties.

“Iraq has a strong team, we know them very well,” Verbeek said.

Iraq, last time semi-finalists in 1976, have been the inspiring story of the tournament, succeeding against the best teams in Asia amid the chaos ripping apart their homeland.

Brazilian coach Jorvan Vieira has called on his players to fight for their flag.

“Our mission is finished in one sense because no-one expected us to make the semi-finals here,” Vieira said on Tuesday.

“Now we are among the first four teams in Asia, it's good for my players, good for the country to show the real value of the Iraq team.’’—AFP