On the international front, China coach Marcello Lippi has outlined his intentions for the 2019 AFC Asian Cup following the draw for the group stages in Dubai last week. The PRC were placed in Group C with South Korea, Kyrgyzstan, and the Philippines, and the World Cup winning boss is hoping by the time the tournament comes around, he will have found the perfect balance of youth and experience for his squad.

MARCELLO LIPPI CHINA COACH "I will put more young players into real games, as we are facing generational change now, and some Under-23 talents will transition to the national team very smoothly. Of course, the veteran players are still playing an important role, but I need to see how their enthusiasm carries over into competition. South Korea is the strongest team in our group, but we defeated them in World Cup Qualifying last year, so we have the confidence that we can win again. At the same time, we will also pay attention to Kyrgyzstan and the Philippines, in order to go as far as we can. Although we are not so familiar with Kyrgyzstan, we still have time to prepare, including watching game replays to analyze their strategy. And speaking of this summer's World Cup in Russia, I will not go there, as instead I will focus on our team's training sessions."