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Afghanistan and Syria lock horns at the Prince Abdullah bin Jalawi Stadium in neutral Saudi Arabia on Tuesday for a clash in the 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers. Ranked 160th in the world, the Lions of Khorasan are looking to recover from a loss to Myanmar in their opening game and get their campaign up and running.
Omid Popalzay fired the Afghans in front after only 14 minutes, but Than Paing restored parity for the Chinthe in the 28th minute.
Midway through the second half, Maung Maung Lwin made it 2-1 for Myanmar as Afghanistan failed to claw their way back into the match.
It extended their losing run to five games in all competitions, something they will be attempting to arrest here. Head coach Vincenzo Annese has called up 23 players for this month's Syria fixture, including captain Zelfy Nazary.
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On the other hand, Syria ran out 2-0 victors against Pakistan in their first Asian Cup qualifier. Ahmad Faqa fired the Qasioun Eagles in front after 23 minutes, while Omar Al Somah made it 2-0 early in the second half.
Having ended 2024 with consecutive losses to Thailand and Russia, Syria returned to winning ways after the turn of the new year. Head coach Jose Lana has summoned 23 players for the Afghanistan clash this month, including key forward Omar Al Somah and Omar Khirbin.
Afghanistan vs Syria Head-To-Head and Key Numbers
- There have been four clashes between the sides in the past, with Syria winning on every occasion.
- Interestingly, every single one of their games came in the FIFA World Cup qualifiers. This is the first time they are meeting in an Asian Cup qualifier.
- Syria and Afghanistan last met in October 2015, with the former winning 5-2 in October 2015.
- The teams are clashing for the first time in nearly 10 years.
- The Qasioun Eagles are ranked 93rd in the world, while the Afghans are 67 places below them.
Afghanistan vs Syria Prediction
Syria have a 100% win record in the fixture and come into the match with renewed confidence. They have some quality options in the attack, too that can pose a threat to Afghanistan's shaky defense. We expect Syria to emerge victorious in this match.
Prediction: Afghanistan 1-2 Syria
Afghanistan vs Syria Betting Tips
Tip 1 - Result: Syria to win
Tip 2 - Goals over/under 2.5: Over 2.5 goals
Tip 3 - Both teams to score: Yes
