Rows over venues and anthems overshadow tomorrow's crunch Asian World Cup qualifiers, when China host Australia and North and South Korea square off in Shanghai.
China's decision to play at altitude has irked Australia, while the two Koreas were forced onto neutral ground after the North said the South couldn't use their national flag or anthem in Pyongyang.
Heavyweights Japan travel to Bahrain and Asian champions Iraq are in Qatar in other highlights of the second set of matches. Two teams from each of five groups qualify for the fourth and final round of Asian qualifying.
PHOTO: AFP
Australia coach Pim Verbeek heads to Kunming in southern China, hoping the thin air 1,900m above sea level won't deflate his winning start last month.
Great things are expected of Verbeek's entirely European-based team, despite last year's Asian Cup flop, after Australia reached the World Cup second round in 2006.
"Probably we will have the better players, so the only way [for China] to beat us is to make it as difficult as possible -- and that's why they play in Kunming and not in Beijing or Shanghai," he complained earlier.
"They're not stupid. On purpose they play at 1,900m, on purpose they ask us to travel longer than normal -- that's why we play in a place nobody has heard of," he said.
Australia have been hit by injuries to Tim Cahill, Mile Sterjovski, Brett Emerton and striker Joshua Kennedy, but Liverpool's Harry Kewell played 45 minutes of Saturday's 0-0 run-out against Singapore.
While Australia are hotly tipped, China are already marked for the chop after drawing against Iraq in a slow start to Group 1, the obligatory "Group of Death."
China have been in steady decline since reaching the 2002 World Cup and the Asian Cup final two years later, making an early exit at last year's regional competition and finishing third at the East Asian championships last month.
Knives are out for China's Serbian coach Vladimir Petrovic, whose wholesale changes have drawn anger from media and fans -- and who has retreated with his team for three weeks of intense training at Kunming.
"We will not make the same mistakes on March 26 against Australia," Petrovic insisted at the East Asian tournament.
The Serb will welcome back striker Han Peng and Energie Cottbus midfielder Shao Jiayi tomorrow.
Meanwhile Shanghai is the unlikely setting for the much-anticipated face-off between North and South Korea, only their third World Cup qualifier and the first since 1994.
World governing body FIFA ordered the venue change after North Korea refused to allow the South's flag or anthem in Pyongyang, suggesting a neutral flag and folk song instead.
"It's a shame that the match won't be held in Pyongyang," said South Korean FA spokesman Yoo Young-cheul. "But at least we will have our national flag and anthem. We didn't want to play without them," he said.
New Iran coach Ali Daei will hope to turn around Team Melli's fortunes in his first competitive match, away to Kuwait.
Iran ground out a drab goalless draw with Syria last month and were shocked 1-0 in a friendly against Bahrain on Saturday.
Iraq head to Kuwait under Adnan Hamad, who was recalled for his fourth stint as national coach after Egil Olsen was sacked.
Thailand face Oman, Turkmenistan host Jordan, Singapore play Lebanon and Syria are against the UAE in tomorrow's other fixtures.
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