In the early hours of September 3, China's journey to the Top 12 officially opened. Striker Wu Lei made a firm statement in an interview, "As long as we are firm in our hearts, it is not simple for our opponents to beat us, they are all very challenging."
In the process of preparation, the Chinese team made full use of the time and continuously optimized the tactical details. It is reported that naturalized player Alan was unwell on August 30, but fortunately there were no major problems. To ensure safety, the coaching team arranged for him to train alone with a rehabilitation counselor. This reflects the extremely high intensity that the Chinese team has shown in their recent training. This kind of fast, high-intensity training will be crucial for the match against Australia, as most of the opposing team's players play in European leagues and the Australian team's style of play is fierce, so if the Chinese players' mentality is still stuck in the period of the 40-team tournament, it will be extremely dangerous.
Although the official AFC document states that China is not the favorite to win Group B, it also acknowledges that the Chinese team is not a "soft target" that can be easily defeated. In addition, the AFC also launched a poll "which team do you think will advance to the World Cup in Group B." The results showed that Japan won 43.28% of the votes. The results showed that Japan led the way with 43.28% of the vote, China and Vietnam tied for second place with 17.92%, followed by Saudi Arabia (9.29%) and Australia (6.89%).
