Following the bitter disappointment of their goalless stalemate at the Philippines, China must rouse themselves for what could be an extremely tricky Thursday night confrontation with Syria in which they simply cannot afford to slip up.

One suspects this is a far tougher assignment than head coach Marcello Lippi would like so soon after a grueling and dispiriting game last month, and the portents are not great. They will have to do without Li Lei for the crucial clash, Lippi confirmed in his press conference on Wednesday. 

The Beijing Guoan defender suffered a left thigh injury in the 6-1 friendly win over Sharjah FC on Sunday in United Arab Emirates, as he was taken off the field 20 minutes into the second half.

Now Lippi will be forced to turn to Shandong Luneng veteran Zheng Zheng or Liu Yang who could play at left-back in Li's absence. The loss of Li adds to China's injury woes, with Guangzhou Evergrande central defender Zhang Linpeng also a fitness concern. 

After a perfect start to their qualifying campaign which saw them thrash the Maldives and Guam with scintillating style, China were brought back to earth as they were held by the limited Philippines.  

Judging by the lackluster performance in their last outing, Lippi's side don't look like they are in a perfect frame of mind to take on a rampant Syria, who are brimming with confidence after hitting the ground running with three straight wins.

However, China will certainly fancy their chances if Brazilian-born naturalized striker Ai Kesen, who struggled to make an impact in the Philippines stalemate, could rediscover his scoring form.  

The 30-year-old's importance to the side cannot be underestimated as Lippi may take a cautious approach against Syria and look to strike through counter-attacks.   
To do so, they will have to loosen up and try to be more creative. Hao Junmin and Wu Xi are adept at breaking up play but China need to use the ball better in away games. Wang Gang's bold wing play caught the eye in this campaign and Wu Lei was a pesky menace too – perhaps Lippi should look to the flanks to get the juices flowing.

Thursday's clash will provide a test of China's mettle. They have their back to the wall and face unfavorable odds, but their hopes of sealing their place in next year's second round of qualifiers will receive a major boost if they could hold their nerve to emerge triumphant.