2019 Asian Cup Group E: Teams, fixtures and key players

Fifa world ranking: 81 Ranking in Asia: 9 Previous Asian Cups: 1 Best Asian Cup performance: Group stage (2000) Nickname: The Cedars Manager: Miodrag Radulovic Captain: Hassan Maatouk Player to watch: Hassan Maatouk Fixtures: January 9 v Qatar (Al Ain); January 12 v Saudi Arabia (Dubai); January 17 v North Korea (Sharjah) Lebanon return to the finals for the first time since hosting the tournament in 2000 as the west Asian nation navigated their way through qualifying for the first time. The Lebanese face a major challenge to advance to the next phase but have pulled off surprise results before, defeating South Korea on their way to the final phase of Asia's qualifying tournament for the 2014 World Cup. Fifa world ranking: 109 Ranking in Asia: 18 Previous Asian Cups: 4 Best Asian Cup performance: Fourth place (1980) 2015 Asian Cup: Group stage Nickname: Chollima Manager: Kim Yong-jun Captain: Ri Myong-guk Player to watch: Jong Il-gwan Fixtures: January 8 v Saudi Arabia (Dubai); January 14 v Qatar (Al Ain); January 17 v Lebanon (Sharjah) North Korea qualified for the Asian Cup under Jorn Andersen, only for the former Norway striker to stand down from his role due to difficulties brought on by sanctions imposed on the state. He has been replaced by Kim Yong-jun, who was a member of the North Korea squad at the 2010 World Cup finals. Kim leads a squad featuring players from the domestic league, those based overseas such a promising teenager Han Kwang-song - currently with Italy's Perugia - and several born in Japan, giving North Korea an unpredictable feel. _____________ Read more on 2019 Asian Cup: 2019 Asian Cup: Groups, teams, tickets and all you need to know Bernd Stange counting on Syria fans to carry team through 2019 Asian Cup group phase Jan Kocian wants Yemen to dream of big victories at 2019 Asian Cup Aref Al Awani: Legacy for UAE football will come from Asian Cup Celtic asked that he be rested: Arnold on why Rogic did not play for Australia against Oman Sven-Goran Eriksson's New Year wish to grow interest in football in Philippines In pictures: Australia thrash Oman 5-0 in Dubai friendly ahead of 2019 Asian Cup _____________ Fifa world ranking: 93 Ranking in Asia: 13 Previous Asian Cups: 9 Best Asian Cup performance: Quarter-finals (2000, 2011) 2015 Asian Cup: Group stage Nickname: The Maroons Manager: Felix Sanchez Bas Captain: Hassan Al Haydos Player to watch: Abdulkarim Hassan Fixtures: January 9 v Lebanon (Al Ain); January 13 v North Korea (Al Ain); January 17 v Saudi Arabia (Abu Dhabi) Qatar arrive in the UAE for their 10th Asian Cup on the back of some strong results in international friendlies and hoping to make an impression on the football community ahead of their first World Cup appearance in 2022 as hosts. The tournament will be Qatar's last before the 2022 World Cup and the Arab state will look to better their best-ever Asian Cup show of reaching the quarter-finals. Felix Sanchez's men would hope to advance deep in the tournament, having been boosted by two stellar performances in recent international friendlies against Switzerland and Iceland. Fifa world ranking: 69 Ranking in Asia: 5 Previous Asian Cups: 9 Best Asian Cup performance: Champions (1984, 1988, 1996) 2015 Asian Cup: Group stage Nickname: Green Falcons Manager: Juan Antonio Pizzi Player to watch: Fahad Al Muwallad Fixtures: January 8 v North Korea (Dubai); January 12 v Lebanon (Dubai); January 17 v Qatar (Abu Dhabi) Saudi Arabia's early exit from this year's World Cup was not a huge surprise given their recent pedigree on the global stage, but at the Asian Cup their fans have reason to expect much, much better. The Green Falcons were once a dominant force in Asian football and reached the final in six of seven tournaments from 1984 to 2007, winning the continental title three times including back-to-back triumphs in 1984 and 1988. The days when they were one of the major powers in the region are a fading memory now, though, and in the last two versions of the Asian Cup they have failed to progress from their group. ______________ More on Asian Cup: Football fans attending AGL games to get tickets to 2019 Asian Cup matches In pictures: Syria's footballers get big reception in Sharjah ahead of Asian Cup Al Ain's Fifa Club World Cup success can be inspiration for UAE at Asian Cup Asian Cup arrives in the UAE: Emirates flies trophy from Japan to Dubai Lowdown on 2019 Asian Cup being hosted by UAE in January-February Omar Abdulrahman injury hits UAE hard and deprives event of a star

2019 Asian Cup Group E: Teams, fixtures and key players

A breakdown of the teams in Group E – Lebanon, North Korea, Qatar and Saudi Arabia – and what we can expect from each at the January 5-February 1 tournament