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Neighbours and fierce rivals Iran and Iraq will meet in the Asian Cup quarterfinals on Friday, while defending champion and title favourite Japan will face the United Arab Emirates.Here are some things to watch:___IRAN VS. IRAQ (0630 GMT): The winner-takes-all match in the Australian capital Canberra will be fiercely contested between two teams that both believe they have the edge on their opponent.Irans form has been faultless, with three wins from three in the group stage, keeping clean sheets in every game. With experienced and highly regarded coach Carlos Queiroz in charge, the Iranians belief in their title chances is growing.Iran, which beat Iraq in a pre-tournament friendly, clinched top spot in its group with a stoppage-time winner by Reza Ghoochannejhad which delivered a 1-0 win against the UAE.The spirit is great in our team, Ghoochannejhad. The chemistry and spirit in this team is amazing and we hope to continue and get good results in the future.Iraqs form has not been quite as convincing, beating Jordan and Palestine while losing a tightly-fought match against Japan. Iraq, though, still has vivid memories of 2007 when it won the Asian Cup against the odds, with its homeland in the midst of war.I see it as a tough game, Iraq midfielder Yaser Kasim said. They are a good side. We played them in a friendly already, so we got a test how to play against them, and how they play. Its going to be a massive, massive game and a great rivalry, so hopefully we can put on a show for the people.___JAPAN VS. UNITED ARAB EMIRATES (0930 GMT): Four-time champion Japan starts as a favourite against the UAE, and the Blue Samurai are living up to their billing as the team to beat for the title.Coach Javier Aguirre, who is working under the cloud of an ongoing match-fixing investigation relating to his time in Spanish club football, was not letting his players get ahead of themselves going into the Melbourne match.From my experience in the Copa America, World Cup and the Gold Cup, I can say that our chances are the same as the other seven teams remaining, Aguirre said. From now we start from zero.Japan will have had only two days rest since its last group game — one day less than the UAE — and star attacker Keisuke Honda was not impressed with the timing.Two days is too short for recovery, Honda said. We have to deal with it but I dont agree with this schedule. It is very difficult, a tough schedule.We shouldnt think we will create many chances against them. They are strong physically, have speed and many talented players.The Emirates chances of pulling off a surprise win will rest largely on the shoulders of young playmaker Omar Abdulrahman, whose performances in this tournament have demonstrated why some of Europes big clubs are tracking his progress.The UAEs strength is a coherence born of having the same group of players coming up through the ranks from under-17s, but Abdulrahman is the standout.Japan captain Makoto Hasebe, as the ball-winning midfielder, will have the chief responsibility of negating the Emirati star.He gets a lot of the ball from his teammates and we know he is the key player, Hasebe said. He is a playmaker more than a finisher and we have to take care of the way he distributes the ball.I have seen some of their games and they are dangerous going forward. They have a lot of players that have come through younger age groups together and are a complete team. But, that said, on our day I think we are a better team. 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Hes been skating on his own all week, before joining the team Saturday hours before a pivotal game in a series tied at 2. Cheap Browns Jerseys Authentic . -- Craig Anderson has quite a record against his former team, the Florida Panthers.PHILADELPHIA -- The new rule designed to protect catchers helped the Philadelphia Phillies gain a victory. Ryan Howard homered in his second game since a three-game benching and scored the go-ahead run on an overturned call at the plate in Philadelphias 4-2 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Sunday. Arizonas Miguel Montero was called for blocking the plate before he had the ball and leaving Howard no path, a violation of an experimental rule put in place this season. "What am I supposed to do? Leave the ball go and get it, or stand still?" Montero recalled telling umpires. "The throw took me there. I went and got the ball. I have no clue where to go on this kind of a play. Id much rather be run over. Its an awkward rule. Let the game alone. Its been this way for 100 years. Its kind of not fun anymore." With the score 2-2 in the sixth, Howard walked with two outs against Vidal Nuno (0-2). Marlon Byrd popped up to short right field, where second baseman Didi Gregorius backpedaled slowly, settled under the ball and allowed it to kick off his glove and bounce toward centre. Ender Inciarte picked up the ball and threw to the plate, where Montero was blocking Howards path, grabbed the throw on the fly and tagged the runner as Howard tried to get around him on the infield side. Umpire Dale Scott signalled out, but after a review of 2 minutes, 55 seconds, Howard was ruled safe. "This year thats a run," said Philadelphia manager Ryne Sandberg, who called his team "very fortunate." "In the last 100 years, its not a run," he said. Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson, who came onto to the field to speak with Scott after the video review, said "the rule has to be reevaluated." "I didnt think they got the play right," Gibson said. In the first season of expanded video review, the plate-blocking rule has been among the most contentious of the innovations. "Theres a lot of judgment there and a little bit of confusion," Sandberg said. "Even 3 1/2 months into the season, here the catcher didd not know that he couldnt stand there the whole time.dddddddddddd And then, ultimately, Howard didnt know his responsibilities as he got to home plate." Howard hit a two-run homer in the first, his 16th of the season but second since June 19. He is 3 for 8 since his benching. "These are a couple of games he can build on and continue to contribute and improve and help the team out," Sandberg said. Philadelphia added a run in the seventh when left fielder David Peralta dropped Ben Reveres fly to the warning track, and Montero was given an error for dropping shortstop Nick Ahmeds throw and allowing Wil Nieves to score. Montero admitted the earlier play at the plate had an effect on him in the seventh. "I thought, What should I do?" he said. "They make it very hard." Roberto Hernandez (5-8) allowed two runs and four hits in seven innings. He had been 0-5 in seven home starts since beating Washington 1-0 on May 4. "He got groundballs when he needed them, and he threw enough pitches around the zone and got some hitters to swing the bat," Sandberg said. Jonathan Papelbon pitched a two-hit ninth for his 25th save in 28 chances. Nuno, making his fourth start since he was acquired from the New York Yankees, gave up four runs -- two earned -- four hits and three walks in 6 2-3 innings. Nick Ahmed doubled in a run for Arizona in the second, and Paul Goldschmidt hit a sacrifice fly in the sixth. NOTES: Arizonas Aaron Hill didnt play after being hit on the right hand on Saturday night. ... Arizona first-base coach Dave McKay wasnt with the team in order to attend the Hall of Fame induction ceremonies for Tony La Russa. McKay served on La Russas staff for 27 straight seasons. ... RHP Chase Anderson (6-4, 3.58) starts for Arizona on Monday in the opener of a three-game series at Cincinnati, which starts RHP Homer Bailey (8-5, 4.22). ... Philadelphia starts RHP A.J. Burnett (6-9, 3.86) in the opener of a three-game series at the New York Mets, who start RHP Bartolo Colon (9-8, 4.03). ' ' '