Iraq and Jordan will face each other in the round of 16 in the Asian Cup for the first time since 2015. The match will take place on Monday at Khalifa International Stadium.
On matchday three, Iraq secured a 3-2 victory over Vietnam after scoring a late penalty. They finished Group D ahead of Japan.
On the other hand, Jordan lost their previous game against Bahrain 1-0, but still managed to advance as one of the best third-place teams with four points.
Match Preview
Iraq overcame Vietnam on matchday three with a 100% record, thanks to a penalty in the 12th minute of second-half stoppage time.
They won their opening three matches at an Asian Cup for the first time. However, they have lost their first knockout fixture in this competition twice in their previous three appearances.
Iraq conceded four goals, more than any other group winner, but they scored more goals (eight) than any other team in the opening round.
They have suffered only one defeat in an Asian Cup knockout game this century when they found the back of the net, losing 4-1 to Japan in the 2000 quarter-finals.
Iraq has won their last five competitive fixtures against Jordan, defeating them on penalties in their previous meeting at the 2023 Jordan International Friendly Tournament in October.
Jordan advanced to the next round for the third time in their last four Asian Cup appearances with a pair of solid matches in the group phase. They aim to win a knockout stage fixture, something they have never done before at this tournament.
Jordan failed to score on matchday three for the first time since a World Cup qualifying defeat to Saudi Arabia last November (2-0).
They have not won a knockout fixture in any competition since 2013, where they finished as runners-up in the West Asian Football Federation Championship.
Iraq Asian Cup form: W, W, W
Iraq form (all competitions): W, W, L, W, W, W
Jordan Asian Cup form: W, D, L
Jordan form (all competitions): L, W, L, W, D, L
Team News
In their previous game against Japan, Iraq had almost an entirely different starting lineup in their final group fixture.
Only Rebin Sulaka maintained his place in the starting 11. Ahmed Basil replaced Jalal Hassan in between the sticks.
Ibrahim Bayesh picked up his 50th cap for the national team on matchday three, while Montader Madjed made his first appearance since 2021.
For Jordan, there were five new faces in their starting 11 in the previous game against Bahrain.
Anas Bani Yaseen, Feras Shelbaieh, Fadi Awad, Mohammad Abu Hasheesh, and Youssef Abu Jalbosh replaced Yazan Al-Arab, Ihsan Haddad, Nizar Al-Rashdan, Mahmoud Al-Mardi, and Musa Al-Taamari.
Bara’ Marei and Ibrahim Sadeh came on as substitutes in place of Salem Al-Ajalin and Rajaei Ayed, making their first appearance at this competition.
Lineups
Possible starting lineup for Iraq:
Hassan;
Ali, Natiq, Sulaka, Adnan;
Resan, Al-Ammari;
Amyn, Bayesh, Jasim;
Hussein
Possible starting lineup for Jordan:
Abu Laila;
Nasib, Al-Arab, Al-Ajalin;
Haddad, Sadeh, Ayed, Al-Mardi;
Al-Taamari, Al-Naimat, Olwan
Prediction: Iraq 2-1 Jordan
Iraq is in great form after their impressive performances in the group stage. Their attacking quality could overpower Jordan, sending them to the quarter-finals for the first time since 2015.
