The 2019 Asian Cup gets under way on Saturday, January 5 in the UAE.

This year’s Asian Cup is the biggest ever in terms of teams participating, with 24 nations vying to be crowned champions of Asia.

Australia arrive as the reigning kings of the continent, having won the tournament on home soil in 2015.

The UAE will look to improve on their third-place finish four years ago. The hosts have never won the Asian Cup, with a second-place finish in 1996 - the last time the Emirates hosted the tournament - representing the national team's best showing at the continental showpiece.

Uzbekistan, participating in the “F” group, will be looking to finally go a step further than their single semi-final spot in 2011 under former Valencia and Egypt manager Héctor Cúper.

Our compatriots will hold their first match on Jan. 9 against Oman and compete with Turkmenistan and Japan on Jan. 13 and 17 respectively.