Li Tie is no stranger to the fiery atmosphere of King Abdulla Sports City Stadium in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. When the current China coach cut his managerial teeth under World Cup-winning legend Marcello Lippi at Guangzhou Evergrande back in 2012, he gained first-hand experience of the challenges of playing in front of a boisterous home crowd as his decorated team locked horns with local giants Al-Ittihad at the same venue during the quarterfinals of the AFC Champions League. 

"I know the stadium quite well, it's beautiful and can hold tens of thousands of fans. The near-deafening cheers from the crowd is very impressive," Li beamed. On Tuesday night, the famed stadium will witness another eagerly awaited encounter as Saudi Arabia prepare to host China in a crucial World Cup qualifying showdown.

After shocking four-time Asian champions Japan with a 1-0 home win in their last outing, Saudi Arabia are odds-on favorites to extend their 100 percent winning record in this campaign when they meet an inconsistent Chinese side, who have only three points from three games in Group B despite registering a morale-boosting victory over Vietnam on Thursday. 

However, Li sought to play down Saudi Arabia's undisputed home and form advantage, suggesting that the argument can cut both ways. "We haven't played in a full stadium in a long time and I'm convinced that my players will be very excited and able to perform pretty well," he observed. 

While Li admitted his side have struggled to get up to speed physically in their consecutive defeats to Japan and Australia, he insisted they were well prepared for their next test. 

"In the last couple of days, I mainly let the players rest fully and also did special training for the match against Saudi Arabia. In terms of personnel, except for Li Lei and Hao Junmin, all other players are ready to play," he said. "It is known to all that Saudi Arabia are very strong, but this is a good opportunity for us to prove ourselves. We will fight till the end for every ball."  

According to multiple media outlets, about 500 Chinese supporters will travel to the stadium to lend their voices to Team Dragon's push to pull off a major upset in Saudi Arabia's own backyard. "Hopefully, Chinese fans' cheering will give us huge motivation and inspire us to play a great game," said China captain Wu Xi.