With the challenge of taking on defending champions Qatar on their home turf, China are bracing themselves for a grueling and intense battle, warned China's team leader Shao Jiayi after the Asian Cup draw was unveiled on Thursday. 

The showpiece event, originally scheduled for June and July this year, will take place from January 12 to February 10. China have been drawn in Group A to face hosts Qatar, Tajikistan and Lebanon. 

"We are certainly facing immense pressure after being grouped with the host nation," said Shao, a former China international and German Bundesliga star who retired in 2015. 

"It's no secret that competing against the home team attracts significant attention and scrutiny... However, looking at it from a different perspective, this pressure can also be a source of motivation, providing our team with the inspiration to rise to the occasion." 

Qatar became the first World Cup hosts in history to get eliminated after their first two games, and the first host nation to lose all three of their group matches. However, Shao made it clear this does not imply that Qatar are disorganized and incompetent. 

"It's important not to underestimate Qatar's impressive strength in Asian football, despite their lackluster performance in the World Cup," observed Shao. 

"Like China in the 2002 World Cup, Qatar were first-time participants in last year's tournament and had no prior experience competing at this level. As someone who can relate to their situation, I fully empathize with their predicament."

"In recent years, Qatar have made remarkable progress in Asia and have a clear advantage in youth development and talent reserves, areas where we may fall short. Therefore, we must not take them lightly and give them the utmost respect as they are our primary opponents in the group stage," he added.

2023 Asian Cup draw

Group A: Qatar; China; Tajikistan; Lebanon 

Group B: Australia; Uzbekistan; Syria; India 

Group C: Iran; United Arab Emirates; Hong Kong, China; Palestine 

Group D: Japan; Indonesia; Iraq; Vietnam 

Group E: South Korea; Malaysia; Jordan; Bahrain 

Group F: Saudi Arabia; Thailand; Kyrgyzstan; Oman