With the World Cup matches against Bahrain on Nov. 14 and Japan on Nov. 19 drawing nearer, the Chinese men's soccer team has begun its preparations for the first half of November. Head coach Ivankovic chose to stay after the end of the battle between India and China, using nearly a week's time to analyze the depth of the Chinese Super League and the AFC Champions League, meticulous screening of potential candidates for the national football team. It is reported that the finalization of the list of international players will be unveiled at the end of this week. In light of Xie Wenneng's suspension and the accumulation of yellow cards by seven players, the coaching staff may make adjustments to the lineup to bring in fresh blood.
On October 15, China beat Indonesia at home to win their first match of the 18-team tournament, which greatly boosted the morale of the team and Chinese soccer. Although China is currently at the bottom of the Group C table with only three points, the gap with second-place Australia is only two points. If they can get more points from opponents of similar strength, such as Indonesia and Bahrain, China is still expected to achieve the goal of top four in the group.
Ivankovic returned to Beijing from Qingdao on October 16th and decisively gave up his vacation in Europe to actively communicate with the CFA to formulate a preparation strategy, and continued to pay attention to the league and scout players. Last weekend, he even came to the Beijing Industrial Stadium to watch the match between Guoan and Hainiu, and he was impressed by the outstanding performance of Guoan striker Cao Yongjing.
According to the latest news, star right winger Xie Wenneng will be suspended for the Bahrain match for accumulating two yellow cards. Seven players, including Li Lei, Yang Zexiang, Li Yuanyi, Wang Shangyuan, Zhang Yuning, Baihelamu and Alan, are also carrying a yellow card each. If they receive another yellow card in the next game, they will face the risk of suspension. The coaching staff plans to call up about 26 players for the new training session.
The past week has brought multiple happy news for Ivankovic. Wu Lei returned to the starting lineup and scored in the AFC Elite League, Zhu Chenjie made his comeback in the Chinese Super League, and Alan returned to the starting lineup. These changes made the squad more complete. However, the absence of injured players has led to strong performances from substitutes such as Byeloram and Jiang Shenglong, and Ivankovic will need to think carefully about making changes to his starting lineup.
Historical data shows that China has met Bahrain seven times, holding the advantage with three wins and four draws. However, the last four meetings between the two sides ended in a draw.In September 2018, the two teams played to a 0-0 draw in an international warm-up match. Facing the weaker Bahrain team, China has a psychological advantage. A win in this match would make China's performance in the first half of the 18-team tournament passable.
