October 10, 17:10 BST.
Chinese men's soccer team
Will play away in Adelaide against the 2026
World Qualifying Tournament (WQT)
Australia's opponent in the 3rd round of the Asian Zone Round of 18. China is at the bottom of the table after two consecutive defeats and there is no way back. In the face of a strong opponent, they need to overcome the mentality of a weak team and make every effort to score goals and win points. CFA President Song Kai and Vice President Xu Kiren encouraged their players to believe in themselves, while Head Coach Ivankovic wanted them to play "aggressively".
The Chinese team should strive to achieve the goal of "being among the top 4 in the group" and should not give up on themselves. During the training period, the two leaders of the Association communicated with the whole team many times, asking them to be united, not to be disturbed by the emotions of the loss, and to focus on preparing for the away matches and to maintain self-confidence.
On the evening of October 8, local time, the Chinese men's soccer team conducted the 3rd training after arriving in Adelaide, which is also the most important technical and tactical training session before the away match against Australia. During the group confrontation training, Gao Junyi may not be able to play due to a broken foot, and 21-year-old Hu Huotao is likely to make his debut in an official national football match as a starting right back. Wu Lei, Allan, Yang Zexiang due to injury, the players selected for the training squad are familiar faces, the players are familiar with the coaching habits and ideas of Ivanovic, the Chinese team tactics no secrets to speak of.
Wei Shihao is attracting attention in the buildup and could start. Fernando's position is controversial, but he may continue at center due to injuries or poor form of many in the attacking line.
China and Australia have met 10 times in official matches, with China's record equal to that of their opponents.21 China has won 2, drawn 2, and lost 3 of the 7 times they have met since the turn of the century. China has won 2, drawn 2 and lost 3 of the 7 meetings since the turn of the 21st century, and has won 1, drawn 2 and lost 1 of the 4 meetings in the World Cup. The last time the two sides met was on November 16, 2021, when China drew 1-1 in the Asian Qualifying Round 12 in Qatar. Ivankovic urged his disciples to run and fight with their opponents and try to slow them down.
