With Wales facing China in today’s China International Cup opening game in southern city of Nanning, all eyes will be on Real Madrid footballer Gareth Bale. 

Even though he has neither confirmed nor denied about his availability, Bale is certainly the biggest star in today’s friendly match and his presence in the game will give his side a massive advantage. 

Interestingly, this will be the first game for former Manchester United legend Ryan Giggs at the helm of Wales coaching team.

Speaking of their first opponents and host China, Giggs said, “Our expectation is that it would be a tough game, first game against the hosts. China has a great manager. It's a tough game not only because they have a great manager, but also because they're at home and they want to win trophies. We watch their videos. They are very aggressive. They play wonderful football. So with all that in mind, it should be an attractive game.”

Meanwhile, coached by Marcello Lippi, the Chinese team is eyeing an upset against the team from the United Kingdom. 

Known as a shrewd tactician, Lippi is the former Italian coach who guided the Azzurri to their fourth World Cup crown in 2006. 

His side missed the bus to the 2019 FIFA World Cup by a whisker and is leaving no stone unturned to produce a good result on the home soil. 

“We know it's going to be very hard. We have to face very strong teams from Europe and South America. The results may not be great but we're not worried about it, because it's only when you face someone stronger than you that you can achieve improvement and make it better and better,” said the Chinese national team’s coach.

In the first edition of the tournament last year, China lost 0-2 to Iceland but finished third after beating Croatia in a penalty shootout. The match will start at 7:35 p.m. local time.