Pretoria - Although Iraq has not yet won any of their friendly games, the unpredictable Asian champions might prove to be a force to be reckoned with, when they take on host Bafana Bafana during the upcoming FIFA Confederations Cup.
The host will play against Iraq at the opening match of the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup at the Coca-Cola Park in Johannesburg on 14 June at 4pm.
Nicknamed the Lions of Mesopotamia, Iraq's second match will be against Spain on 17 June at the Free State Stadium at 4pm.
They will play against the lowest ranked team in the tournament New Zealand in Johannesburg's Coca-Cola Park on 20 June at 8:30pm.
However, Iraq also poses a threat to South Africa since it is under the mentorship of an experienced Serbian born coach, Bora Milutinovic.
Milutinovic is well-known for his vast experience when it comes to international events.
He is the one who took the Chinese national team to their first ever World Cup in 2002.
During the 1986 FIFA World Cup, he took Mexico to the quarter finals and went to the second round with Costa Rica in 1990.
He also led USA to the 1994 FIFA World Cup as well as the Nigerian national team in 1998.
The South African defence will have to keep a close eye on Iraq's goal scorer, Younis Mahmoud.
Despite the war in Iraq, the national team continued to play relatively well in international tournaments with good results.
Teams that have been defeated by Iraq include Portugal, Costa Rica, Saudi-Arabia and Australia.
However, Iraq has not won a single match since it began to test its strength as preparations for the Confederations Cup started earlier this year in March.
They drew 0-0 with Saudi Arabia on 22 March and they went on to lose 2-1 to Korea Republic on 28 March. On 31 May, Qatar beat the Lions of Mesopotamia, Iraq 1-0.
Like South Africa, they will play their last friendly match ahead of the Confederations Cup against Poland at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg on Monday - two days after Poland plays against Bafana Bafana.
The full squad of Iraq's national team include goalkeepers, Uday Taleb, Mohammed Kassid and Noor Sabri.
Defenders in the team include Mohammed Kali Karim, Bassim Abbas, Fareed Majeed, Dara Mohammed, Salam Shakir, Ali Rehema, Essam Yassin and Muayad Khalid.
The midfielders will comprise Salih Sadir, Hawar Mulla Mohammed, Karrar Jassim, vice captain Abdul-Wahab Abu Al-Hail, Mahdi Karim and Halgurd Mulla Mohammed.
Iraq's strikers will include Emad Mohammed, Luay Salah, Younis Mahmoud and Alaa Abdul-Zahra.
