For the first time since 2015, Iraq and Jordan will battle each other at the Asian Cup, this time in the round of 16 on Monday at Khalifa International Stadium.

A late penalty on matchday three gave Iraq a 3-2 victory over Vietnam, as they topped Group D above Japan, while the Jordanians lost their previous match 1-0 to Bahrain but still advanced as one of the best third-place teams with four points.

Match preview

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It took a penalty in the 12th minute of second-half stoppage time for the Iraqis to overcome a pesky Vietnamese side on matchday three, enabling them to finish the group stage with a 100% record.

This is the first time they have won their opening three matches at an Asian Cup tournament, though they have lost their first knockout fixture in this competition in two of their previous three appearances.

Their matchday three triumph was also the first time they won a game in normal time after conceding the opening goal since defeating Kuwait 2-1 in a January 2021 friendly.

While they conceded more goals than any group winner (four), Jesus Casas's men had more than enough quality to get by, scoring more than anyone in the opening round (eight goals).

Iraq have only suffered one defeat this century when finding the back of the net in an Asian Cup knockout game, squandering a 1-0 lead against Japan in the 2000 quarter-finals and losing 4-1.

They are unbeaten in their last five competitive fixtures against Jordan, defeating them on penalties in their previous meeting at the 2023 Jordan International Friendly Tournament in October.

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A pair of solid matches to begin the group phase of this competition was ultimately enough for the Jordanians to advance into the next round for the third time in their last four Asian Cup appearances.

Now the Chivalrous Ones have a chance to do something they have never done before at this tournament, win a knockout stage fixture.

Jordan were closest to doing that four years ago, squandering a 1-0 lead versus Vietnam and ultimately losing out on penalties (4-2) after that match ended in a 1-1 draw.

This team have not won a knockout fixture in any competition since 2013, when they finished as runners-up in the West Asian Football Federation Championship.

On matchday three, Hussein Ammouta saw his side fail to find the back of the net for the first time since a World Cup qualifying defeat to Saudi Arabia last November (2-0).

Despite scoring first in two of their last three meetings with Iraq, the Chivalrous Ones have yet to claim victory against them since a friendly in October 2015 (3-0).

Team News

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In their final group fixture, Iraq had almost an entirely different opening lineup from the one which began their match against Japan, with Rebin Sulaka the only one who maintained his place in the starting 11, while Ahmed Basil replaced Jalal Hassan in between the sticks.

Ibrahim Bayesh picked up his 50th cap for the national team on matchday three, replacing Allan Mohideen in the second half of that contest, while Montader Madjed made his first appearance since 2021.

Sulaka netted for the first time with the national team, while Aymen Hussein came on for Ahmad Allee in the second half on Wednesday, notching a brace but also missing a penalty, putting him in the lead with five goals at the Asian Cup thus far.

We saw five new faces in the Jordan starting 11 on Thursday, with Anas Bani Yaseen, Feras Shelbaieh, Fadi Awad, Mohammad Abu Hasheesh and Youssef Abu Jalbosh replacing Yazan Al-Arab, Ihsan Haddad, Nizar Al-Rashdan, Mahmoud Al-Mardi and Musa Al-Taamari.

In that encounter, Ammouta gave two Jordanians their first appearance at this competition, with Bara' Marei and Ibrahim Sadeh coming on as substitutes in place of Salem Al-Ajalin and Rajaei Ayed.

Yazid Abu Laila has conceded three goals in his last two games after posting a clean sheet in their matchday one victory over Malaysia (4-0).

Iraq possible starting lineup:
Hassan; Ali, Natiq, Sulaka, Adnan; Resan, Al-Ammari; Amyn, Bayesh, Jasim; Hussein

Jordan possible starting lineup:
Abu Laila; Nasib, Al-Arab, Al-Ajalin; Haddad, Sadeh, Ayed, Al-Mardi; Al-Taamari, Al-Naimat, Olwan

We say: Iraq 2-1 Jordan

The Lions of Mesopotamia will be brimming with confidence after their group performances, and we believe their attacking quality will overpower Jordan and send them into the quarter-finals for the first time since 2015.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.

Written by
Joel Lefevre

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