On January 11, the new team, the largest in the history of China's men's football team, formally assembled at the Shanghai Pudong Jinqiao Marriott Red Maple Hotel, kicking off preparations for the two Top 12 matches against Japan on January 27 and Vietnam on February 1.
The number of players selected is as high as 52, adopting the "big national team" assembly mode. According to the plan, before the team departed for Japan, there will also be a personnel adjustment. 16 and 20, our team will be two internal warm-up matches to determine the final list of participants and the starting lineup for the China-Japan showdown.
On the 11th, head coach Li Xiaopeng briefly explained the value of these two warm-up matches in an interview. "The warm-up match on the 16th is for the players who did not participate in the AFC Cup final, but the intensity of this tournament will not be very high because we have just gone through an intensive league campaign and are in a fair physical condition. As for the match on the 20th, we will simulate the formation and main tactics of the Japanese team, while the other team will simulate the main lineup that will face the Japanese team."
