The tournament opener is set to make sure that the 18th edition of the AFC Asian Cup begins in style and the excitement will only continue to soar as the group stage has thrown up several gripping match-ups to look forward to throughout the remainder of January.

With plenty at stake in each of the 36 group stage fixtures taking place across Qatar between January 12 and 25, the-AFC.com picks out five matches to whet your appetite. A little over a year after hosting the monumental FIFA World Cup 2022 final between Argentina and France in front of almost 90,000 spectators, the Lusail Stadium will bear witness to another grand occasion as Qatar host Lebanon in the curtain raiser of the AFC Asian Cup on Friday.

Defending their maiden title as well as playing hosts, there will be plenty of pressure on Qatar, who will want to produce an impressive showing at the continental showpiece and make amends for a group stage exit at their home FIFA World Cup in 2022.The Maroons also have the challenge of adjusting to life under new head coach Marquez Lopez, who replaced Carlos Queiroz with just over a month to go for the game against Lebanon — an opposition they beat 2-0 to begin the fairytale run to their maiden crown in 2019.

However, with experienced stars, like captain Hassan Maatouk and Mohamad Haidar, and an overseas contingent including AFC Wimbledon’s Omar Bugail and Vancouver FC’s Gabriel Bitar in their ranks, the Cedars will hope to spring a surprise against Qatar this time around in the Group A opener.