Asia's biggest football tournament, the AFC Asian Cup, kicks off Friday in Australia. Francis Leach has the lowdown on Group B.
GROUP B: UZBEKISTAN - SAUDI ARABIA - CHINA - NORTH KOREA
Conventional wisdom
Both Saudi Arabia and Uzbekistan will believe that they should progress from this group and be in a position to hit the ground running in the knockout stage of the competition.
Since competing at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, North Korea have slid to a FIFA ranking of 148, qualifying for the tournament by winning the 2012 AFC Challenge Cup. A huge improvement will be required if they are to get out of Group B.
For China, the AFC Asian Cup is an opportunity to announce itself as an emerging football power in the region. The rise of the Chinese Super League as a destination for some of the game's biggest names -- such as Guangzhou Evergrande's Marcello Lippi and former Shanghai Shenhua star Didier Drogba -- has yet to be reflected in the success of the national team. Now might be the time.
Must watch
Saturday, Jan. 10 -- Uzbekistan vs. North Korea
Given their lack of international exposure, North Korea's opening game against Uzbekistan in Sydney will tell us a lot about their prospects. Tournament football is a sprint not a marathon and if the Koreans can find form early they may surprise. Certainly, the lack of familiarity with their personnel and game plan makes them intriguing to watch.
For the Uzbeks, it's a case of trying to better the high water mark of their semifinal appearance at the 2011 Asian Cup. That match ended in a 6-0 drubbing by Australia, and the Uzbeks would love an opportunity to engineer a rematch on Aussie soil later in the tournament.
Main men
North Korea -- Jong Il-Gwan
Though little is known about the North Korean squad the same can't be said for Jong Il-Gwan.
The 22-year-old Rimyongsu striker has been on the target of several European clubs including PSV Eindhoven, Partizan Belgrade, and, most recently, Newcastle United.
In 2010, he was crowned AFC Youth Player of the Year just after his 18th birthday.
Wearing his national colours, he's scored six times in 25 internationals for North Korea since making his debut in 2011. He's a quick and technically-adept forward who will look to punish defences in Australia.
Saudi Arabia -- Nassir Al-Shamrani
Few footballers have had such wildly fluctuating experiences as the Saudi striker did in 2014.
The Al-Hilal star was banned for 8 games following the final of the 2014 AFC Asian Champions League final against the Western Sydney Wanderers for an unsavory incident after the final whistle.
Just weeks later, Al-Shamrani was named 2014 Asian Footballer of the year.
His reputation as a goal scorer will be overshadowed by his disciplinary record when he arrives in Australia.
If he lets his sublime skill do the talking in this tournament that will change quickly.
China -- Zheng Zhi
Zheng was the AFC Asian Footballer of the year in 2013. The captain of the national team and China's Asian Champions League winning Guangzhou Evergrande, Zheng is crucial to Chinese hopes.
A goal-scoring midfielder who has played in England with Charlton Athletic and in Scotland with Celtic, Zheng will be expected to lead by example.
Uzbekistan -- Server Djeparov
Twice Asian footballer of the year, in 2008 and 2011, Djeparov is a midfielder of the highest quality.
With over 100 appearances in the national shirt and having scored 23 goals he'll be relied upon to lead by example as the Uzbeks press to go one better than they did in 2011.
What matters most
Tournament pedigree is invaluable to teams in a tight group.
Both Saudi Arabia and Uzbekistan have players who have navigated clear passage to the knockout phase of this competition previously and should do so again. The Uzbeks in particular, come into the tournament with wins against the UAE, Jordan and Iraq in the second half of 2014, so confidence should be high.
The Saudis have lost three of their past three games leading into the tournament, so their focus will be all about shoring up a shaky defence which has lately conceded goals far too easily.
China and Korea DPR will be looking to capitalise on this form slump. If either side can manufacture a good result against the "Big Two" in Group B, they just might cause an upset.
Prediction
1. Uzbekistan
2. Saudi Arabia
3. North Korea
4. China