With the official release of the new schedule for the Chinese Super League this season, the scheduling conflict between the 12-team tournament and the league has been properly resolved and the Chinese team has been able to devote themselves to preparing for the tournament, striving to present the performance that everyone is looking forward to. In an interview, player Zhang Xizhe said that the Chinese team will go all out to meet the challenge of Japan, and not to lose in the face of Oman and Vietnam. His words undoubtedly reveal the layout of the national team's strategy for the 12-team tournament.
Facing the remaining 9 rounds of matches in the upcoming first phase of the league, the Chinese team completed the community self-survey today and the players have returned to their clubs to actively prepare for the game. The next training session is tentatively scheduled for mid-August, and the preliminary preparations are being carried out in an organized manner. It is reported that the personnel list of the national team may be slightly adjusted, and the players who failed to participate in the 40 strong match are expected to return to the lineup. In fact, the AFC received the World Qualifier list on every player has been carefully selected by the coaching team, they have their own strengths, coach Li Tie will be based on the characteristics of the opponent to select the right players. In the upcoming 12-team tournament, the Chinese team's first two matches will be against Australia and Japan respectively, two strong enemies, tactical ideas and staff configuration will be adjusted accordingly.
China and Japan have a long history of facing each other in the World Qualifiers, and even in the East Asian Cup, Japan often competes with a team of domestic players. Zhang Xizhe revealed, "We are looking forward to a real showdown with our opponents with a full-strength squad, and we will definitely give our best." Talking about Oman and Vietnam, Zhang Xizhe emphasized, "We can't afford any slip-ups in Oman and Vietnam, and only by defeating them can we fight against strong teams such as Japan, Australia, and Saudi Arabia, and we don't want to lose points on our weaker opponents."
The latest news is that Australia may choose to play China at a third-party venue due to epidemic control. This may be a favorable factor for the Chinese team, as the Kangaroos are undefeated at home with 15 wins and 3 draws in 18 matches in the past 8 years of the World Qualifying Tournament, while their winning rate on the road is only 24%.
