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International break: 11 must watch matches from World Cup qualifiers

By Thuya Kyaw

MANAUS, BRAZIL - SEPTEMBER 06: Neymar player of Brazil celebrates his goal during 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia qualification match between Brazil and Colombia at Arena da Amazonia at Arena da Amazonia on September 6, 2016 in Manaus, Brazil. (Photo by Bruno Zanardo/Getty Images)
MANAUS, BRAZIL - SEPTEMBER 06: Neymar player of Brazil celebrates his goal during 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia qualification match between Brazil and Colombia at Arena da Amazonia at Arena da Amazonia on September 6, 2016 in Manaus, Brazil. (Photo by Bruno Zanardo/Getty Images) /
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DOHA, QATAR – JANUARY 29: (CHINA OUT, SOUTH KOREA OUT) Tadanari Lee of Japan scores his team’s first goal during the AFC Asian Cup Final match between the Australian Socceroos and Japan at Khalifa International Stadium on January 29, 2011 in Doha, Qatar. (Photo by The Asahi Shimbun via Getty Images)
DOHA, QATAR – JANUARY 29: (CHINA OUT, SOUTH KOREA OUT) Tadanari Lee of Japan scores his team’s first goal during the AFC Asian Cup Final match between the Australian Socceroos and Japan at Khalifa International Stadium on January 29, 2011 in Doha, Qatar. (Photo by The Asahi Shimbun via Getty Images) /

6. Australia vs Japan

Another two Asian giants will face off on Tuesday for World Cup qualifiers. Both teams have won the last two Asian cups, with Japan winning in 2011 while Australia in 2015. It’s never a boring match between these two and this match should be no different.

Vahid Halilhodžić, who was in charge of Algeria in 2014 World Cup where they took eventual champions Germany into extra time, is now the boss of Japan and wants to continue his success there. Although they surprisingly lost to UAE at home in the first game, they bounced back with a 2-0 away win at Thailand.

For this match, they will depend on their Europe based stars such as Shinji Kagawa of Dortmund, Keisuke Honda of Milan, Shinji Okazaki of Leicester, Hiroshi Kiyotake of Sevilla, Maya Yoshida of Southampton, Yuto Nagatomo of Inter, and Takuma Asano of Arsenal who is on loan to Stuttgart.

Current Asian champions Australia are no slouch either, especially at home. Some of their stars include former Everton man Tim Cahill, Aston Villa midfielder Mile Jedinak, Valencia keeper Matthew Ryan, Bayer Leverkusen forward Robbie Kruse, and QPR midfielder Massimo Luongo. This will be one of the most exciting match ups for world cup qualifiers and both teams will battle hard to see who is the real king of Asia.

Next: Will Pizzi's men wake up?

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