Prediction Of Indonesia Vs Iraq's 2023 U-20 Asian Cup Match: Tough Test At The Beginning

The U-20 Indonesian national team will face Iraq in the inaugural match of the 2023 U-20 Asian Cup. (Photo: Twitter/@PSSI)

JAKARTA The Indonesian U-20 national team will undergo the first match of the group phase against Iraq in the U-2023 Asian Cup. Young Garuda came with less than optimal capital.

The duel between the two teams on the first matchday of Group A will take place at Lokomotiv Stadium, Uzbekistan, Wednesday, March 1, 2023. The match between Indonesia U-20 vs Iraq will begin at 19.00 WIB.

A number of preparations have been made by Indonesia to face this competition. Starting from the training camp which took place since the beginning of last month and participating in mini tournaments.

During the impact process, the Garuda Muda squad experienced a number of problems. Including friction with several clubs who were reluctant to release their players who were called by tactician Shin Tae Yong.

In addition, Indonesia is also certain to not be strengthened by flagship midfielder Marselino Ferdinand. The player has just moved to Europe and joined Belgian club KMSK Deinze so he has to be absent.

"Honestly, it's not a full team from what I want right now. So, I also find it difficult to talk about our targets in the U-20 Asian Cup," said the South Korean architect some time ago.

In addition, the unsatisfactory results must also be obtained by the Korean coach's team during the mini tournament. Of the three matches played, Indonesia lost twice and won once.

The one-one victory was won in the first match against Fiji. In this hot match, the Garuda Muda squad successfully crushed the opposing team with a landslide score of four goals without reply.

Meanwhile, in the second and third matches, Indonesia had to concede three goals and only scored one goal. Indonesia conceded two goals and only returned one goal in the match against New Zealand.

Then in the third match, Indonesia had to lose a single goal against Guatemala. The only goal was scored by Jorge Solorzano through a kick from the middle of the field.

Another problem is that Indonesia must undergo uncomfortable training on the field in Uzbekistan. The field provided there is far from ideal because the surface is partially parried.

Forecast of the line-up:

Indonesia U-20 (4-3-3): Cahya Supriadi; Kakang Rudianto, Muhammad Ferarri, Marcell Januar, Dony Tri; Achmad Maulana Syarif, Robi Darwis, Arkhan Fikri; Dzaky Asraf, Rabbani Tasnim, Ginanjar Wahyu

Coach: Shin Tae-yong (South Korea)

Iraq (4-4-2): Abbas Kareem; Sajjad Mohammed Fadhil, Ali Abbas, Kadhim Raad, Adam Talib; Abdul Razzaq, Eil Ahmed, Abbas Majid, Ail Jasim; Mohammed Jameel, Mustafa Qabeel

Coach: Emad Mohammed (Irak)