Sports Mole previews Monday’s Asian Cup clash between Indonesia and Iraq, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
Making their first Asian Cup appearance since 2007, Indonesia begin Group D action by facing Iraq on Monday at Ahmed bin Ali Stadium.
A convincing 7-0 victory over Nepal combined with a win for Jordan versus Kuwait (3-0) enabled the Indonesians to finish second in their third-round qualifying group, while the Lions of Mesopotamia punched their ticket into this tournament by ending the second qualification phase as group runners-up behind Iran.
Match preview
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It was seen as quite the coup when Indonesia convinced Shin Tae-yong to manage the national team, with the South Korean helping to develop an exciting generation of talent.
The man who masterminded South Korea’s stunning victory over Germany at the 2018 World Cup, knocking the reigning champions out of that tournament, has a much tougher task in this competition.
Indonesia are 146th according to the latest FIFA ranking, making them the second-lowest seeded team behind Hong Kong (150) among those participating at the Asian Cup.
Featuring in a group with the top-ranked Asian nation Japan, along with Vietnam and Iraq, it will be a tall order for Tae-yong to propel them beyond the group stage for the first time.
Their form coming into this competition could be better, too, with Indonesia winless in five successive matches in all competitions, losing three friendlies this month by a combined score of 11-1.
They have not defeated an Asian opponent since earning a pair of 6-0 triumphs over Brunei in 2026 World Cup qualifying, while they are currently bottom of their second-round qualification group with a single point after two matches.
Although their form has been poor of late, Indonesia have historically begun Asian Cup campaigns well, never losing their opening match, while winning their first encounter in each of their previous two appearances (2004 and 2007).
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As the second-highest-seeded team in this group (63), the expectations will be for Iraq to make it into the knockout stage of this tournament for an eighth successive occasion.
Last year, Jesus Casas guided the national team to an impressive double, capturing the Arabian Cup in September and following that up with their first-ever triumph at the King’s Cup.
The Asian Cup will be the first major continental tournament for Casas as a head coach, primarily coaching youth clubs in the early stages of his career.
The Spaniard does however have prior coaching experience in major tournaments, serving as an assistant to Luis Enrique when Spain made the semi-finals at Euro 2020.
Iraq have only suffered one defeat in their last eight group-stage encounters at the Asian Cup, losing their second match versus Japan (1-0), a side they will face on matchday two.
They are off to a good start in their quest to make their first World Cup since 1986, leading their second-round group with a 100% record after two matches, scoring six times while conceding only once.
The Lions of Mesopotamia have never lost a game versus Indonesia, winning the last six meetings against them, including a convincing 5-1 triumph in a November 2023 World Cup qualifier.
Indonesia form (all competitions):
Iraq form (all competitions):
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Team News
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Justin Hubner is still seeking his first Premier League appearance for Wolverhampton Wanderers but has earned his first three caps for Indonesia this year, the second-fewest on the 26-man squad, behind Wahyu Prasetyo of Persib Semarang (two), while Ivar Jenner, currently playing for Eredivisie side Utrecht, has five caps.
Pratama Arhan, their most experienced international chosen for this competition, can reach 40 caps on Monday, Marselino Ferdinan is three away from 20 and Elkan Baggott of Ipswich Town reached 21 caps in their defeat to Iran last week (5-0).
Witan Sulaeman led them with two goals in Asian Cup qualifying, while Marc Klok and Rachmat Irianto netted in their opening third-round qualifying match against Kuwait, helping them earn a 2-1 come-from-behind victory, with Indonesia finishing three points above them in Group A.
Casas has a mixture of youthful and experienced players to choose from at the Asian Cup, with Akam Hashim being the only one without an international appearance for Iraq, while Montader Madjed collected his first cap last week in a friendly defeat against South Korea (1-0).
Ali Adnan is nine appearances shy of reaching 100, Ibrahim Bayesh can hit the half-century mark for appearances should he feature in each of their group fixtures, Aymen Hussein is one away from 70 and Bashar Resan made his 60th appearance a week ago.
Six different Iraqi players have found the back of the net in their opening two 2026 World Cup qualifying fixtures, including Resan, Osama Rashid, Youssef Amyn and Ali Al-Hamadi, who all scored in their 5-1 victory over Indonesia, with an own-goal by Jordi Amat serving as the match-winner.
Indonesia possible starting lineup:
Ari; Baggott, Ridho, Amat; Sayuri, Hubner, Klok, Arhan; Sulistyawan, Struick, Drajad
Iraq possible starting lineup:
Hassan; H. Ali, Natiq, Adnan, Doski; Iqbal, Bayesh, Resan; Jasim, Hussein, M. Ali
We say: Indonesia 0-3 Iraq
There is a lot of raw talent on this Indonesian side but not much experience in games of this magnitude, and they could be in for a hard lesson against Iraq.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting an away win in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their tried-and-tested football tips.Away Win:data
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