Teams count down to Asian Cup final 23s

AFC – DOHA, Sixteen coaches are now racking their brains over their final 23 players for the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2011™ finals, from January 7-29 in Doha.

Each of the 16 teams are already down to their last 50 names. However, by December 28, the final list of 23 players should be submitted to the AFC.

Some teams have a fair idea of which players will form the bulk of their squad, such as UAE, who have picked a 25-man squad for a training camp in Oman.

Others, though, still have time to go through the merits of each and every player on their teams before deciding on a balance 23 to take to Doha.

In the lead-up to the tournament, teams are organsing warm-up matches in which coaches can identify their top players.