China men's football team prepares for Asian Cup

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01:18

The Chinese men's national football team has reunited for the first time since their 2-0 friendly victory over Thailand. That win gave China a two-game winning streak, after edging Myanmar 1-0 in Nanjing several days earlier, and now the squad is looking forward to next year's Asian Cup.

Coach Marcello Lippi has recalled 24 players for training, including veterans Zheng Zhi and Gao Lin, who is on the verge of becoming the second man to earn 100 caps for China. Shandong Luneng goalkeeper Wang Dalei had to sit out the drills with an injury to his mid-section, giving Tianjin Quanjian's Zhang Lu most of the work between the posts.

Seven members of China's latest roster come from Guangzhou Evergrande, while five represent Beijing Guoan. The team is practicing in Guangzhou for two days, before flying to Qatar on Wednesday, ahead of their next friendly.

China's coach Marcello Lippi spoke to the media ahead of the team's departure for Qatar. /VCG Photo

Coach Marcello Lippi said, "During the first half of the year, I recruited many young players because I want to give them more international experience in competition, while also letting our veterans have more time to rest and recover."

"The Asian Cup is a very important tournament, and I believe our players will do their best to help the team achieve a good result. The ability of our players is very competitive in Asia," the Italian World Cup-winning coach added.

China will have two warm-up matches this month, as Lippi's men travel to Qatar for a friendly on Friday evening, before making the short hop to Bahrain for another contest on Monday afternoon.