China aiming to upset titleholders Japan in AFC U23 Asian Cup final

China will face old rivals Japan in Saturday's AFC U23 Asian Cup final in Saudi Arabia. A sandstorm engulfed the host city of Jeddah in the days leading up to the title match, but the Chinese side were able to return to training once the heavy winds began to fade.

Antonio Puche's men have shown a strong competitive edge at this tournament, cruising past Vietnam 3-0 in the last four, in a game that saw the coach rotate six starters. China have kept clean sheets in each of their last five contests.

Japan have scored 12 goals so far, with sights set on defending their Asian title and lifting the trophy for a third time after previous triumphs in 2016 and 2024.

China, on the other hand, had never reached the knockout phase before this edition, but now find themselves one step away from claiming the championship. The squad appeared relaxed off the pitch, with midfielder Xu Bin offering haircuts to his teammates as they aimed to look sharp going into kickoff.

"We should have confidence, since we have made it to the final, where we won't have fear of anything," said China defender Hu Hetao.

"All of us are aiming for one target. The final should be very difficult, and we have made up our minds to face the challenges. The team have had good rest, in order to be in better physical condition against Japan in the final. It will be difficult for sure, but we will fight to make history, instead of giving anything up."

The sentiment was echoed by Puche. "We are very excited. This is a historic match and a very big dream," added the coach.

"We want to win the title even though we know it will be difficult. Reaching the final itself is already special for us, but now we want to go one step further. You will see the distance between Japanese and China football is still quite big, and we need to be realistic and adapt to our opponents, but we have 23 players and we will fight, for sure. We understand the situation but sometimes extraordinary things can happen."