Despite their status as co-hosts, the Vietnamese will be seen as the underdogs in a group that features the three-time champions, the recently crowned Asian Games gold medallists and a nation that reached the final of the 1996 Asian Cup.

“Of course, we are the outsiders,” said the Austrian, currently in his third stint as Vietnam coach.

“The others would normally be seen as being stronger than us. But we won’t be nervous because we are the outsiders.”

Japan – who successfully defended the title in China three years ago after winning it for the second time in Lebanon in 2000 - will be favourites to progress to the last four with Qatar and the UAE fighting it out for the other berth in the quarter-finals.

But while the odds are stacked up against Vietnam, Riedl is hoping his team can give a good account of themselves.

“We performed well at the Asian Games even if the results weren’t so good,” he said. “We don’t want to lose but for us the results aren’t important.

“I’m not saying we want to lose but it’s important that we try hard and do our best. We always go into the game to win, no matter who is our opponent. But of course we are playing at home, so we have a chance to win. We will go in and try.

“I know the Japan coach, Ivica Osim, well and they are champions so of course it will be very hard.

“And the other teams are neighbours, so they will bring something interesting to Vietnam also. United Arab Emirates and Qatar are big rivals and it will be great to play them.”

Japan Football Association technical director Takeshi Ono was satisfied with the draw as the Japanese seek a record-breaking fourth-Asian Cup title.

“It’s difficult to know how we will do,” said the former Sanfrecce Hiroshima coach. “It’s an interesting group but there will be tough games and we will try to do our best.

“We know Qatar and UAE have very good talent and young talent but it will be tough. Vietnam I don’t know so well but the hosts are always tough so we’ll have to work hard.”

AUSTRALIA
Despite the absence of many of their Europe-based stars for the majority of the qualifiers, the Socceroos comfortably secured a spot in the Asian Cup for the first time by topping Group D.

They began with a come-from-behind 3-1 win in Bahrain in their opening match before 2-0 home wins against Kuwait and Bahrain confirmed Graham Arnold’s side of their place in the finals.

BAHRAIN
Semi-finalists at the Asian Cup in 2004, Bahrain were staring at an early elimination after picking up on only one point from their first three qualifying games in Group D.

Facing a crucial must-win home game against Kuwait in their final qualifier, Hans-Peter Breigel’s side prevailed 2-1 with first half goals by Talal Yusuf and Salman Issa ensuring that the Kuwaitis missed out on the Asian Cup for the first time since 1972.

CHINA
Runners-up in 2004, China made hard work of qualifying this time around. Although beaten only once in six Group E games, Zhu Guanghu’s side needed a last-ditch Shao Jiayi penalty to defeat Singapore 1-0 and were also held to a goalless draw in the Lion City.

A 2-0 win against Palestine in their penultimate game sealed China’s place in the finals but they will need plenty of improvement if they hope to go one better than their last Asian Cup performance.

INDONESIA
Having claimed their first victory at the Asian Cup finals with a 2-1 win against Qatar in 2004, Peter Withe’s side will be hoping for an even stronger performance in front of their own passionate fans in Jakarta when they make their fourth consecutive appearance in the finals in 2007.

The Indonesians have been runners-up in the last three editions of the ASEAN Football Federation Championship, and should prove a difficult side to beat on home soil.

IRAN
Having narrowly lost out on penalties to China in the 2004 semi-finals, Iran will be keen to add to their tally of three Asian Cup triumphs when they make a record 11th consecutive appearance in the finals in 2007.

Despite being held to a 1-1 draw at home by Syria, Amir Ghalenoei’s side were the only team not to lose in the qualifying competition and qualified as winners of Group B with a 2-0 victory against Korea Republic in Tehran in their final game.

IRAQ
The Iraqis began their qualification campaign in the worst possible way with a 2-0 defeat in Singapore but the 2004 quarter-finalists bounced back with a crucial 2-1 win against China in their next game.

They remained unbeaten for the rest of their campaign, sealing qualification for a fourth Asian Cup with a 4-2 victory against Singapore on their ‘home’ ground in Al Ain in the United Arab Emirates.

JAPAN
Despite patchy performances in their qualifying campaign, defending Asian Cup champions Japan secured their place in South East Asia by topping Group A with five wins in six games.

Although they made hard work of their two victories against Yemen, a last-minute Kazuki Ganaha strike in Sana’a assured Ivica Osim’s side of qualification after only four games and they rounded off their campaign with a 3-1 win against Saudi Arabia.

KOREA REPUBLIC
Winners of the first two editions of the Asian Cup, Korea Republic will be looking to end their title drought of 47 years when they compete in next year’s tournament in South East Asia.

Pim Verbeek’s side secured qualification for the finals for the 11th time after only five Group B games but they were far from impressive and were surprisingly held to 1-1 draws at home by both Iran and Syria.

MALAYSIA
An Asian footballing power in the 1970s, Malaysia will make their first appearance in the Asian Cup finals in 27 years when they co-host the tournament in 2007.

Home ground advantage could be of benefit to Norizan Bakar’s side, who held eventual quarter-finalists Iraq and semi-finalists Bahrain to draws in Kuala Lumpur during the qualifying rounds for the 2004 Asian Cup.

OMAN
Oman recovered from losing their opening Group C qualifier against United Arab Emirates, winning their next four games to seal their second consecutive appearance in the Asian Cup finals with a game to spare.

Having guided the Omanis to their first Asian Cup appearance in 2004, Czech coach Milan Macala returned to take charge of the team following the dismissal of Croat Srecko Juricic.

QATAR
Qatar had a poor campaign in China in 2004, finishing last in their group with just one point from three games, but the Gulf Cup holders made amends with an impressive display in the qualifiers for the 2007 tournament.

The Qataris won their first five games to top Group F, advancing to the Asian Cup finals for the seventh time in eight attempts, and were only denied a perfect record in qualifying by a 2-0 loss against Uzbekistan in their final match.

SAUDI ARABIA
Looking to make up for the disappointment of going out during the group stage in 2004, three-time Asian Cup winners Saudi Arabia qualified impressively for the 2007 tournament winning their first five games in Group A.

Marcos Paquesta’s side netted 21 goals and conceded only one in those five games, and only a 3-1 defeat in Japan in their final game denied them a perfect qualification record.

THAILAND
Although they finished third when they hosted the Asian Cup in 1972 and have qualified for the finals on every occasion since 1992, the Thais are still seeking their first regulation time victory in the final rounds.

The three-time ASEAN Football Federation champions have been in transition for the past couple of years but a quarter-final appearance at the 2006 Asian Games by their under-23 side bodes well for the future.

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Following a disappointing performance in China in 2004, where they managed one point in three games, the 1996 Asian Cup runners-up returned to form with a strong qualifying campaign that saw them finish in first place in a tough Group C.

Bruno Metsu’s side did much of the hard work in their first four games, winning the first three and securing their place in South East Asia with a goalless draw against Jordan.

UZBEKISTAN
Quarter-finalists in 2004, Uzbekistan had to wait until their final game in Group F before securing their passage to a fourth consecutive appearance in the Asian Cup finals.

Defeated 2-1 in Qatar in their second game, the Uzbeks were also held to a pair of draws by Hong Kong, and only confirmed their place in South East Asia when they defeated Qatar 2-0 in Tashkent in their closing match.

VIETNAM
South Vietnam played in the finals of the first two editions of the Asian Cup in 1956 and 1960 but the 2007 Asian Cup will mark Vietnam’s first participation in the tournament as a unified nation.

The closest that the 2007 co-hosts have previously come to the finals was in 2004 when they recorded a memorable 1-0 win against Korea Republic in Oman but missed out by three points.

Speaking in Kuala Lumpur on Monday, on the eve of the Asian Cup 2007 final draw, the ex-China international defender backed the continent’s traditional powerhouses to shine in next year’s tournament, which will be co-hosted by Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam.

“Australia have a very strong team and of course, they have a great chance of winning the Asian Cup next year,” said Fan, the Asian Player of the Year in 2001.

“But as this is the first time that they are participating in Asian football’s flagship tournament so they may not be too familiar with playing the other teams in Asia.

“Therefore, I still think that teams like Iran, Korea and Saudi Arabia will be favourites to win next year.”

While Fan also expressed his hope that his country would do well in the 2007 competition, he felt that the calibre of the current team isn’t good enough to give China its first Asian Cup victory.

“As an ex-China national team player, of course I wish them all the best. However. I don’t think that China can reach the final as this is still a young team,” said the former Crystal Palace, Dundee and Cardiff City player.

“To be honest, I feel that the young players we have in China now are not as good as they were in my generation.

“My opinion is that after my generation retired, not many promising young players have come through so there is a gap between my generation and the players now.

“We have also had problems on the coaching and administration side so the condition of Chinese football is not very good at this moment.”

Fan will be assisting in the Asian Cup final draw at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Center, along with former Asian football stars Hidetoshi Nakata of Japan, Khodadad Azizi of Iran, Kim Joo-sung of Korea Republic and Mohesin Al Jamaan of Saudi Arabia.

The draw on Tuesday evening will see the 16 finalists placed in four groups of four for the 2007 finals, which will take place next July in South East Asia.

In addition to the four co-hosts, the other finalists are Bahrain, China, Iran, Iraq, Korea Republic, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, first-timers Australia and defending champions Japan.

The seedings for the draw are to be announced by the AFC on Tuesday morning.