Old and New rivals square off in Asian Race for 2010 World cup

Fierce rivalries old and new will resume in the final round of Asian qualification for the 2010 World Cup as Japan and Australia cross swords while traditional foes South Korea, North Korea, Saudi Arabia and Iran will fight out only two automatic spots for South Africa.

On Friday in Kuala Lumpur the ten remaining Asian nations alive in the 2010 race were drawn into two five-team round-robin groups.

The top two from each progress to South Africa while the two-third place teams must then play each other for the right to meet the winner of Oceania qualifying for the last World Cup berth.

Group A contains Australia, Japan, Uzbekistan, Bahrain and Qatar.

Group B is made up of South Korea, Iran, Saudi Arabia, North Korea and the United Arab Emirates.

South Korea's was the last team drawn and placed with familiar foes as it bids to appear at a seventh consecutive World Cup.

"We know Saudi Arabia very well but they are a very difficult team to beat while it's not easy to get three points from North Korea," South Korea coach Huh Jung-moo said.

The ex-PSV Eindhoven midfielder wasn't flattering his opponents.

South Korea has not defeated Saudi Arabia since 1994 and has drawn five of its past six games against neighbor North Korea.

Two of those draws came in the previous qualification round. The first was shifted from the North Korean capital, Pyongyang, to China following North Korea's refusal to play South Korea's national anthem and raise its flag.

The June 22 match was played in Seoul despite North Korean objections.

"We hope that it can be a normal home and away, but if there are some issues it's still not a problem because we always have our neighboring countries to go to," Chun Han-jin of South Korea's football association said.

Coach Huh was also at the helm when South Korea defeated Iran in the quarterfinal of the 2000 Asian Cup. Iran coach Ali Daei was playing for Iran that day.

Daei also faced North Korea in qualification for the 2006 World Cup but missed the trip to Pyongyang when home fans rioted after Iran won 2-0 and FIFA later imposed sanctions.

Saudi Arabia famously pipped Iran for a place at the 2002 World Cup in the final match of qualification.

"Our group is tougher than the other as all the teams are strong but I have faith in my team. We have a decent chance to gain one of the four automatic berths," Daei said.

In Group A, Asian heavyweights Japan and Australia will meet for the third successive year. Australia rallied late to defeat Japan at the 2006 World Cup while the tables were turned a year later when Japan won their Asian Cup quarterfinal on penalties.

"It is more satisfactory than joining Group B. I am sure that we are capable of winning a place," Japan Football Association chairman Saburo Kawabuchi said.

"Despite the fact that Australia is a formidable enemy, it cannot be declared the strongest, in view of the result of the third round."

Pim Verbeek is the man in charge of leading Australia through its first ever Asian qualification campaign. It qualified for the 2006 World Cup through Oceania before switching confederations.

"It's an interesting group and we will have to work hard to reach the finals. I believe it will all come down to our last two home games against Bahrain and Japan next June," said the Dutchman.

Uzbekistan was the most impressive team during the previous round of qualification and was rewarded with a chance to exact revenge on Bahrain.

The last time the two nations met was in a 2006 World Cup qualification play-off, a game which provided one of the more controversial moments in Asian football history.

Uzbekistan scored a penalty to take a 2-0 lead but the referee ruled out the spot kick due to Uzbek encroachment and erroneously awarded Bahrain a free-kick rather than ordering a re-take of the penalty.

FIFA ordered the match to be replayed, Bahrain won and an angry Uzbekistan even considered leaving the Asian Football Confederation for UEFA.

"It will be exciting to meet Bahrain again in a World Cup qualifier," Uzbek coach Rauf Inileev told the AFC.

"The players will be motivated against them and I hope we will be successful this time."

The fourth round action starts on September 6 and runs to June 17 next year.

Sapa-AP