With the clock striking Beijing time on Jan. 13, the Chinese men's soccer team kicked off their Asian Cup campaign with their first match against the charismatic Tajikistan, followed closely by the challenge of Lebanon and finally a match against hosts Qatar.
At their resident hotel in Abu Dhabi, UAE, the Chinese men's soccer team is in full swing in their pre-tournament preparations. They have been training relentlessly on a daily basis while arranging four well-designed warm-up matches. After completing these four warm-up matches, the national soccer team will set foot on the land of Qatar to officially start the journey of the Asian Cup.
20 days later, the Chinese men's soccer team will embark on the battlefield of the Asian Cup. At this moment, what Chinese fans are most looking forward to is how manager Jankovic will line up his troops. Based on the 26-player list released by the FA and Jankovic's preference in the preliminaries, we may be able to have a preview of the main lineup for the Asian Cup. Here are some initial predictions:
In goal, Shanghai's goalkeeper Yan Junling is unassailable, and if nothing else, he will continue to be the starting goalkeeper for the national team. In the backline, Jankovic is likely to adopt a solid 4-back formation, with Liu Yang, Zhu Chenjie, Jiang Guangtai and seasoned veteran Zhang Linying as the backline's solid barrier. Zhu Chenjie and Jiang Guangtai will be the center backs, while Liu Yang and Zhang Linying will be the left and right wing backs respectively.
On the midfield line, captain Wu Xi will undoubtedly be the leader in interceptions and tackles, and the double back pairing alongside him is expected to be the strongly returning Wang Qiuming. In front of them, Wu Lei, Xie Pengfei and Wei Shihao will form an attacking triangle. Xie Pengfei in the center, Wu Lei and Wei Shihao on both sides, the three of them form the front attack group will provide strong firepower support for the team.
On the front line, the 35-year-old Tan Long is expected to continue to carry the offensive flag, and Zhang Yuning, who has just returned from injury, may be on standby as a substitute. In summary, the outline of the Chinese men's football team's starting lineup for the Asian Cup is becoming clearer, and the expected starting eleven will be: Yan Junling; Liu Yang, Zhu Chenjie, Jiang Guangtai, Zhang Linying; Wu Xi, Wang Qiuming; Wu Lei, Xie Pengfei, Wei Shihao; Tan Long.
