BENGALURU (FIBA Women's Asia Cup 2017) - Japan and Australia - two title favorites - will collide early on in the group phase of the FIBA Women's Asia Cup 2017.

Japan will not be without arguably their best player at the tournament, while the Aussies have been bitten by the injury bug of late. These hiccups will serve as hurdles for these two squads as they go for the gold in Bengaluru.

Both are in Group A at the Women's Asia Cup, and here is all you need to know about the three-peat-seeking Japan and global power Australia.

Group Games (local time):
Sunday 23 July
Australia v Korea - 11:00
Japan v Philippines - 13:15

Monday 24 July
Australia v Philippines - 11:00
Japan v Korea - 15:30

Tuesday 25 July
Japan v Australia - 15:30

JAPAN
2015: Champions
Best Finish: Champions (1970, 2013, 2015)
How they qualified: Automatically as Champions in 2015

One to watch: Asami Yoshida
- With superstar Ramu Tokashiki officially out of the roster for the Women's Asia Cup, the onus will be on Yoshida to take on the cudgels and carry this team on her shoulders. Yoshida is widely considered the best playmaker in Asia, and her performance will be very important in how well and how far the Akatsuki Five will go in this tournament. She was actually their most efficient player in the 2015 edition, averaging 5.0 points, 4.7 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 2.1 steals per game.

Outlook: Without Tokashiki, Japan will have a donut hole on both ends of the floor, which means players like Yuka Osaki and Maki Takada will have to effectively fill that void. Most of Japan's players on this team, however, will be young and inexperienced at this level, so the challenge for coach Tom Hovasse to really push these ladies and bring out the best in them is going to be quite staggering. Still, Japan are a terrific team, and they should at least make a return trip to the tournament's Final.

AUSTRALIA
2015: Did not participate.
Best Finish: Oceania champions (15 times)
How they qualified: Qualifying round winners at the FIBA Asia Women's Championship 2015

One to watch: Marianna Tolo
- At 1.95m, Tolo certainly stands out in Asian women's basketball. Without Liz Cambage in this year's competition, much of the attention will inevitably be on her, but she has to find a way to adjust and help carry this team. In the Rio 2016 Olympics, Tolo was central to the Aussies' efforts, and she registered 7.2 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.5 assists.

Outlook: The Opals are heavily favored to finally dethrone past champions Japan, but they know that they will need to play outstanding basketball at this level in order for them to win it all. The Aussies definitely have great size at every position, and that is something coach Cheryl Anne Chambers will surely have to maximize against the smaller but much faster Japanese.

FIBA