With the bell ringing on January 13, the Chinese men's soccer team will embark on their Asian Cup journey, facing the enigmatic Tajikistan in their first match, followed by the challenges of Lebanon and host Qatar.
The Chinese men's soccer team has begun intense training at their resident hotel in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. In addition to regular training, they will also play four targeted warm-up matches. After these practical exercises, the team will officially depart for the Asian Cup in Qatar.
With only 20 days left before the start of the Asian Cup, what Chinese fans are most looking forward to is how Jankovic will line up. Based on the 26-man roster released by the FA and Jankovic's preferences in the preliminaries, we may be able to guess his starting lineup for the Asian Cup. Here are some simple predictions:
In the goalkeeper position, Shanghai goalkeeper Yan Junling is firmly in the starting position. As long as he stays healthy, he will be the first choice for the national soccer team. The backline is expected to be a 4-guard formation, with Liu Yang, Zhu Chenjie, Jiang Guangtai and Zhang Linmiao in the starting lineup. Zhu Chenjie and Jiang Guangtai will be the center backs, while Liu Yang and Zhang Linying will be the wing backs.
Wu Xi, the core of the midfield, will be responsible for interceptions and steals, and partnering him will be Wang Qiuming. Facing them, Wu Lei, Xie Pengfei and Wei Shihao will form a powerful attacking trident. Xie Pengfei will be in the center, Wu Lei and Wei Shihao will flank them, and the three of them will team up to deliver shells to the strikers.
On the forward line, 35-year-old veteran Tan Long will carry the attacking load, while Zhang Yuning, returning from injury, will be on standby as a substitute. To summarize, China's starting lineup for the Asian Cup is as follows: Yan Junling; Liu Yang, Zhu Chenjie, Jiang Guangtai, Zhang Linmiao; Wu Xi, Wang Qiuming; Wu Lei, Xie Pengfei, Wei Shihao; Tan Long.
