The Blue Samurai moved three points clear of Syria at the
top of the table after recording a 2-1 win in Tokyo in November thanks to an
86th minute strike from Germany-based Yuki Otsu after both sides had begun
their campaigns with back-to-back wins over Bahrain and Malaysia.
Japan know a fourth consecutive victory at the weekend
would open up a six point lead at the top of the table with just two games
remaining and only the group winner is guaranteed a ticket to London.
Japan stepped up their preparations after sharing a
goalless draw with fellow final round hopefuls Qatar, who earlier lost 5-0 to
Sweden, in Doha at the end of January.
With only the three group winners qualifying directly for
London and the runners-up entering a three-way play-off in Vietnam at the end
of March to earn the right to face Senegal for a place at the 2012 Olympic
Games, Syria will be keen to return to winning ways.
After opening their campaign with a 3-1 victory over
Bahrain in Amman at the end of September, the Syrians beat Malaysia 2-0 in
Kuala Lumpur.
Third-placed Bahrain, meanwhile, will look to capitalize
on any points dropped in Amman as they begin a crucial run of back-to-back home
games with the visit of Malaysia after staging a stunning comeback to win 3-2
in Kuala Lumpur at the end of November.
Elsewhere, Uzbekistan will look to build on a solid start
in Group B as Australia swap the summer of the southern hemisphere for the
freezing temperatures of Tashkent looking to dent the home side's hopes of a
maiden appearance at the Olympic Games.
With the Uzbekistan national team following up their run
to the semi-finals of the 2011 AFC Asian Cup by reaching for the fourth round
of qualifiers for the 2014 FIFA World Cup and domestic side Nasaf winning the
2011 AFC Cup, Uzbek football is thriving at continental level.
And the Olympic side will look to build on a solid start
in Group B which has seen Abramov's side follow their opening day 2-0 win over
Iraq with back-to-back goalless draws away from home against the United Arab
Emirates and Australia.
Temurkhuja Abdukoliqov and Kenja Turaev scored in the
second half against Iraq as Uzbekistan began the final round in style on home
soil, before Abramov's side strengthened their position at the top of the table
with creditable away draws against the UAE and Australia.
Australia, meanwhile, are still searching for a first
goal of the final round after also sharing goalless draws with the UAE and
Iraq, although Aurelio Vidmar's side sit just two points behind leaders
Uzbekistan with three games remaining.
Vidmar has been forced into a change to his squad, who
stepped up their preparations with a pre-match training camp in the UAE, with
Central Coast Mariners midfielder Mustafa Amini replacing the injured Terry
Antonis.
Amini, who was included in an extended full national team
squad at the start of last year, is back on-loan at former club Central Coast
Mariners until the end of the group stage of the 2012 AFC Champions League
after joining Germany's Borussia Dortmund last year.
Second-placed Iraq, meanwhile, face the UAE in their
adopted home of Doha looking to build on their 2-0 win in Al Ain on Matchday
Three. Finally in Group A, unbeaten leaders Korea Republic also begin a testing
run of back-to-back away games with a trip to Dammam to face a Saudi Arabia
side seeking their first win of the campaign.
Hong Myung-bo's side, who bounced back from their 1-1
draw with Qatar on Matchday Two with a 1-0 home win over Saudi Arabia at the
end of November, made an ideal start to their preparations after beating
Thailand and Norway and drawing with defending champions Denmark last month to
win the King's Cup in Thailand.
Seo Jung-jin, who featured prominently for K-League side
Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors in the knockout stages of the AFC Champions League last
season, and FC Seoul's Kim Hyun-sung each scored twice over the three games,
while Cerezo Osaka's Kim Bo-kyung and Gwanju's Kim Dong-sub were also on target
for Korea in Thailand.
But with the 1-1 draw between Oman and Qatar on Matchday
Three being overturned after the visitors were adjudged to have fielded an
ineligible player in Muscat, Oman now sit just a point behind Korea with three
games remaining ahead of their Matchday Four trip to Doha.
