Asian heavyweights kick off Road to Russia

Singapore: Asia`s heavyweight nations kick off their World Cup campaigns in some unusual places over the next six days, with a qualification revamp putting the continent`s minnows in line for some painful thrashings.

Thirty nine of the Asian Football Confederation`s 46 members will compete in the second round, which means rare qualifying matches for Guam, Bhutan and East Timor, but only the winners of the eight groups are guaranteed a place in the third round and also a spot at the 2019 Asian Cup.

Asian champions Australia and perennial World Cup qualifiers Japan and South Korea will be heavily expected to take three of the continent`s four guaranteed places for Russia 2018, with a fifth also possible through an intercontinental playoff.

Iran joined the trio in making it to Brazil last year and will be confident of back-to-back World Cups for the first time having convinced Carlos Queiroz to stay on as head coach.

Australia will begin their campaign on Tuesday in the Kyrgyzstan capital of Bishkek, with Group B also offering trips to Tajikistan, Bangladesh and Jordan before concluding in March.

"Some people got some geography lessons last night, found out some countries they probably didn`t think existed," Australia coach Ange Postecoglou joked after the draw was made in April.

Japan also begin on Tuesday with a soft start at home to Singapore with further Group E matches against Cambodia, Syria and Afghanistan unlikely to trouble them.

Singapore requested to switch and play Japan away first because the matchday clashes with the closing ceremony of the Southeast Asian Games which it is hosting.

The SEA Games, which features an ongoing football tournament for under-23 sides, led to Thailand and Vietnam playing their opening Group F match early in Bangkok last month which the hosts won 1-0.

Group F, also boasting Taiwan and Iraq, is the only one to have four teams after Indonesia were banned by FIFA last month for government interference of the local football association.

South Korea, fourth at their home World Cup in 2002, are in Southeast Asia for their opener as they take on Myanmar in Bangkok on Tuesday. Myanmar are banned from hosting matches after crowd trouble at a 2014 qualifier.

The Koreans, who lost to Australia in the final of January`s Asian Cup, should breeze through against Laos, Lebanon and Kuwait.

Iran could run up some big scores in Group D matches against India and Guam, who they beat 19-0 in a 2002 qualifier, with Oman and Turkmenistan also in the group.

Saudi Arabia are part of an Arab contingent trying to return to the World Cup before the tournament comes to Qatar in 2022.

They will host Palestine on Thursday after telling their opponents they could not travel to the West Bank.

"We don`t care if the match is home or away because our goal is to reach World Cup," said Saudi midfielder Jamal Bajandouh whose side also face East Timor, Malaysia and United Arab Emirates in Group A.