JEDDAH, 15 August 2006 — Saudi Arabia open their Asian Cup qualifying campaign tomorrow against India in one of 12 matches across the region.

The Kingdom play their Group A away match at Salt Lake Stadium in Calcutta, India. This will be the first competitive game for the Saudis after a disappointing World Cup campaign in which they failed to advance past the group stage with two losses and draw.

Saudi Arabia, coached by Brazilian Marcos Paqueta, arrived in the Indian capital on Sunday. As part of their preparations for the India tie the Saudis played a friendly against Bahrain in Dammam which they won 1-0 on Wednesday.

Saudi Arabia have 13 World Cuppers in their squad including defenders Hamad Al-Montashari, Hussein Sulaimani and forward Yasser Al-Qahtani.

The AFC Asian Cup qualifying competition has been hit by the enforced withdrawal of troubled Lebanon.

Lebanon pulled out of qualifying for the 2007 tournament earlier this month because of the heavy damage inflicted on the country by Israeli air strikes. Asian officials approved Lebanon’s decision with several players missing amid the devastation.

Lebanon were scheduled to play Bahrain away tomorrow.

Australia face Kuwait in the other Group D game in Sydney with a young Socceroos side slight favorites to become the first team to qualify for next year’s finals.

Victory would take Australia to six points and guarantee a top-two finish in the group in their first Asian Cup qualifying campaign.

Kuwait will take heart from the fact Australia go into their first competitive game of the post-Guus Hiddink era with just two members of the squad that reached the last 16 of the World Cup. “We respect Australia for what they did at the World Cup,” Kuwait coach Mihai Stoichita told reporters. “We also we want to beat them. We’re not just a bunch of exotic holiday-makers.” Holders Japan will also be expected to take three points at home to Yemen in another Group A contest.

New coach Ivica Osim has named an inexperienced squad unrecognisable from the one that flopped badly at the World Cup under previous coach Zico. “It will take time to get the team to master what it is I’m teaching them,” Osim said. “If I was able to do that in one day I would be a magician.”

Iran suffered a blow when playmaker Ali Karimi pulled out of their Group B game with Syria through injury but will still start as favorites to win in front of a partisan crowd in Tehran.

South Korea left out the likes of Manchester United’s Park Ji-sung and Lee Young-pyo of Tottenham Hotspur for their trip to Taiwan but still have a wealth of experience to choose from.

With the Koreans level on three points with Iran and Syria, coach Pim Verbeek will be wary of a slip-up against the Taiwanese with a tricky home tie against Iran to come on Sept.2.

Jordan will look to throw Group C wide open with a win at home to United Arab Emirates. The UAE have six points from two games with Jordan and Oman on three.

Oman will hope to press their claims when they travel to Pakistan, who conceded seven goals in their first two matches.

An injury crisis has left China vulnerable ahead of their Group E tie at home to Singapore with defenders Sun Jihai, Du Wei and Ji Mingyi all ruled out.

Meanwhile, Palestine face Iraq in another politically sensitive game being played in neutral Amman due to security fears.

The group is finely poised with all four teams currently on three points from two games. Iraq’s preparations, always fraught with danger amid the fall-out of war, were thrown into turmoil last month when their coach Akram Salman quit after receiving death threats.

In Group F, leaders Qatar will expect to make it three wins out of three when they travel to Bangladesh while Uzbekistan take on Hong Kong at home.

­— With input from agencies