Qatar will need nothing less than a victory against Iran to survive in Group C of the AFC Asian Cup being held in Australia.

Three-time Asian Cup champion Iran showed why it's the favorite to top Group C after a powerful display of speed and strength against Bahrain.

2014 Gulf Cup champion Qatar, meanwhile, will need to draw on all its resolve to recover from an error-riddled 4-1 loss to the United Arab Emirates, when mistakes by goalkeeper Qasem Burhan contributed to at least two goals.

Ehsan Hajsafi was the standout for Iran in its 2-0 win in Melbourne.

The Iranians will be the clear favorites to beat Qatar in Sydney, but recent history shows it will not be a formality.

Iran has lost just once to Qatar in 10 matches since 2007, but the fact that five of them ended in a draw is a more telling statistic, according to USA Today.

Thursday's game will be just the second time the two teams have met at the Asian Cup. Iran won the previous match 2-0 in 1988.

Despite the background, Iran coach Carlos Queiroz said Qatar would start as favorite following its title in the recent Gulf Cup.

"We know that we face a well-prepared and motivated Qatar team after their success in the Gulf Cup," he said. "Queiroz said. "We aim to be the best team on the pitch and win the match."

Iran's star striker Reza Ghoochannejhad says while his side is under a lot of pressure to continue to perform at the tournament, it is ready for the challenge.

"Everybody is excited to play against Iran, and everybody is motivated, especially because we are coming from the World Cup, but this is the situation right now we can't complain, we can't make excuses," he said.

Iran has lost just one of its past 15 Asian Cup matches, winning nine. [USA Today]