2019 AFC Asian Cup: China gears up for Iran challenge
The Chinese football team trained at their base in Abu Dhabi ahead of their much-anticipated quarterfinal match against Iran.
Two-time Asian Cup finalists China will take on Iran at the Mohammad Bin Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Thursday.
However, ahead of the do-or-die battle, the “Red Dragons” are grappling with injuries with striker Wu Lei and defender Zhang Linpeng battling for fitness.
Midfielder Yu Hanchao and striker Wei Shihao are also recuperating from injuries while defender Feng Xiaoting, who performed well in the match against Thailand, is under the weather after catching a cold and fever over the past few days.
Unfazed by their injury worries, the remaining of the Chinese squad joined the morning session of the training a day before the crunch game.
Core players of Marcelo Lippi's side focused on recoveries and relaxed while bench players were seen taking challenges on field during the practice.
Nonetheless, the mood seems to be upbeat in the Chinese camp as all the players have vowed to try their best to fight the hard battle against Iran.
Mehdi Taremi (L) of Iran and Khalid Al Braiki of Oman compete for the ball during the AFC Asian Cup round of 16 match between Iran and Oman at Mohammed Bin Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi, UAE, January 20, 2019. /VCG Photo
Defender Feng Xiaoting said, “As for the next game, there might be some unexpected changes because it is a game in the knockout stage. We will fight hard for sure and leave everything on the field. Iran is strong, but we will fight tough with them. Everyone in our team is full of confidence.”
Meanwhile, their rivals, Iran, who played in the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, are currently the highest-ranked squad in the FIFA rankings to play in this year's AFC Asian Cup.
“Team Melli” currently occupies 29th place, while China are in joint 76th place, alongside Belarus.
The Iranians are a good defending side as they have not lost a ball till now since the tournament began. As far as their attacks are concerned, the west Asians have scored two goals more than China in the tournament so far.
On Tuesday, they underwent a light training session with all their 23 players taking part.
There hasn't been any injury problems on their side and they have won the championship three times. They got into the semi-finals eight times during their 13 appearances.