The West Asians head into the eagerly anticipated showdown at Abu Dhabi’s Zayed Sports City Stadium looking to claim their first-ever AFC Asian Cup title, while their opponents stand on the brink of winning a record-extending fifth Continental crown.

Having seen them shine brightly throughout the competition, Sanchez believes his charges are now ready for one final push as they look to make history for the West Asian nation.

With the two teams potentially 90 minutes away from creating history, the-AFC.com breaks down some of the key facts and details ahead of what promises to be a match to remember.

Moriyasu was a member of the Japan side that won the country’s first title in 1992, when Takuya Takagi’s goal sealed victory in the final over Saudi Arabia, and since then the Japanese have gone on to claim the trophy in 2000, 2004 and 2011 to become the AFC Asian Cup’s most successful nation.

Now the 50-year-old, who took over as Japan coach following the country’s run to the Round of 16 at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia last summer, is looking to guide his nation to a record-extending fifth AFC Asian Cup title from the dugout.

The 41-year-old from Uzbekistan, who is no stranger to high-profile encounters, will be officiating in his second AFC Asian Cup final, having managed the 2011 final between Japan and Australia in Qatar.

Ravshan will be assisted by compatriots Abdukhamidullo Rasulov and Jakhongir Saidov (UZB) with Ma Ning from China PR named as the fourth official. Italian Paolo Valeri has been appointed as the VAR and will be supported by assistants Muhammad Taqi bin Jahari from Singapore and Australia’s Christopher Beath.

Qatar 2-0 Lebanon
Group Stage - January 9: Hazza bin Zayed Stadium

Second-half goals from Bassam Al Rawi and Almoez Ali saw Qatar pick up a 2-0 win over a determined and well-organised Lebanon as they recorded an opening victory in Group E.

Japan 3-2 Turkmenistan Group Stage - January 9: Al Nahyan Stadium

Japan came from behind and survived a late Turkmenistan rally to seal a 3-2 Group F win over their Central Asian opponents with Ritsu Doan bagging his side’s vital third goal.

In Felix Sanchez, Qatar have a head coach who has overseen the steady progress of several of Al Annabi’s leading lights – notably Akram Afif and Almoez Ali – thanks to his spells with a host of the West Asian nation’s age-group teams.

The 43-year-old Barcelona native joined the Doha-based Aspire Academy in 2006 before, seven years later, taking charge of the Qatari side which would go on to beat DPR Korea and claim the AFC U-19 Championship in 2014. 

Sanchez subsequently replaced Jorge Fossati in the Qatar hotseat in 2017, a role he now combines with the country’s U-23 side who he guided to a third-place finish at the 2018 AFC U-23 Championship.