BANGKOK (Thailand) - Iran stands out in Group E as a three-time Asia Cup champions and finalist from the 2017 edition of the competition, but Qatar, Syria, and Saudi Arabia are no pushovers. There is also the added anticipation of the rivalry between Qatar and Iran which is featured in the very first window, which makes the games in Group E worthwhile adding to your reminders.

Don't take your eyes off of Saudi Arabia and Syria either, as both teams continue to make positive strides forward to develop their teams.

Team to beat: Iran

Despite the quality of the other teams in the group, there is no denying the dominance of Iran over the entire region in the past decade. Iran are considered among the top teams in Asia, a fact emphasized by acquiring the lone direct ticket to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics from the World Cup last year.

(Iran, FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019)

While some of the Team Melli seasoned veterans are moving towards the later parts of their prime, the new generation of players have shown great promise and potential to take the torch. Whether it is Behnam Yakhchali, Michael Rostampour, or Mohammad Jamshidi, the future should be in good hands for Iran.

That proved to be true in Iran's first game as they beat Syria 94-48, led in scoring by Jamshidi with 19 points.

FIBA World Ranking, presented by NIKE

WORLD RANK	COUNTRY	ZONE RANK	IOC	CURRENT POINTS
22.	Iran	2.	IRI	443.7
66.	Qatar	11.	QAT	134.8
94.	Saudi Arabia	19.	KSA	94.5
100.	Syria	20.	SYR	92.2

Key Matchup: Saudi Arabia v Syria

The Qatar v Iran rivalry on 23 February is indeed juicy for the storyline, but Iran have taken over of that matchup recently and will have home advantage.

Instead, let’s turn the focus to Saudi Arabia v Syria. The game is the back end of the first two FIBA games ever to be played in Jeddah at the gorgeous venue of King Abdullah Sports City. Saudi Arabia have already made things interesting in the first gameday of the window by convincingly beating Qatar 68-57 and could be up to cloud nine if they can win a second straight game.

Not only will it be a second straight opportunity for Saudi Arabia to show their fans how serious they are about pacing back to be among the top basketball nations in Asia, it’s a good chance for Syria as well.

Syria has continuously “kept basketball alive” in the war torn country in the recent years. Against all odds, they have momentum coming into the Asia Cup Qualifiers especially having tuned up their team chemistry at the King’s Cup friendly tournament in Jordan last week. Syria are coming off from a crushing loss to Iran, but teams can't hang their heads in these situations.

This is going to be a clash between two countries who are fighting to develop and become better basketball nations. An intense game here will only help both of their causes.

Click here for the full schedule of the Asia Cup Qualifiers.

Star: Hamed Haddadi

3-time Asia Cup titles.
5-time Asia Cup title game appearances.
4-time Asia Cup MVPs.
792 points in Asia Cup.
56 Asia Cup games played.
49 Asia Cup games won.

‘Nuff said.
Those credentials alone should be enough to settle the case for Haddadi as the star of Group E. Now after a near tripple-double of 14 points, 14 rebounds, 9 assists, and 5 blocks against Syria, it's undeniable.

(You might also be interested in answering whether Yao or Haddadi was the better center in Asia)

Player(s) to Watch: Khalid Abdel Gabar / Abdulrahman Saad

On one hand, you have the all-around Khalid Abdel Gabar who is looking to “surprise many people” with Saudi Arabia. On the other hand, you have Qatar’s Abdulrahman Saad who has arguably been the star for Qatar in the recent years even at a relatively young age.

The two are coming off quiet games by their standards, but there's just so much potential to unlock in their games.

(Khaled Abdel Gabar, GBA National Men's Championship 2019)

The 29-year-old Abdel Gabar did nearly everything for Saudi Arabia in his national team debut at the Pre-Qualifiers, going for 14.5 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 5.3 assists per game. He was the main facilitator in the first game with 6 assists, through there were lengthy stretches where Saudi Arabia could have used his scoring prensence as well.

Abdulrahman Saad is only 23-years-old, but he’s been putting up some big numbers for Qatar. He’s a regular with the senior national team now and still putting up big time scoring numbers. At Asia Cup 2017, averaged 20.0 points per contest and then even went on to score 16.2 per game during the World Cup Qualifiers.

An injury kept Saad out for the later parts of the World Cup Qualifiers and he had a scare in the first quarter of the first game, but he bounced back for a modest 8 points and 5 boards.

Familiar Face: Tarek Aljabi

Micheal Madanly was the main man who drew all the attention for Syria at Asia Cup 2017, which made it a bit easier for Tarek Aljabi to slip under the radar a bit.

To be honest, Aljabi might have deserved a bit more of the spotlight as well after finishing 4^th in scoring with 17.8 points. The 29-year-old put up his points in an efficient matter too, shooting 60.0 percent from the field and 50.0 percent from downtown.

Aljabi went scoreless in the first game against Iran, but he should get better chances when Syria faces Saudi Arabia on 23 February.

FIBA