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E-mail Xinhua, March 25, 2025
China coach Branko Ivankovic said Monday that his squad will give their all for the home fans in the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup Asian qualifier against Australia, with a record-breaking crowd of 70,000 expected to pack the stadium.
"Tomorrow will be a grand match for both teams. I hope my players could play their best football and fight until the end in front of all our supporters," Ivankovic said in the pre-match press conference.
Head coach of China Branko Ivankovic attends the press conference ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup Asian Qualifier match between China and Australia in Hangzhou, China, March 24, 2025. (Xinhua/Jiang Han)
With three matches left in the qualifiers, China finds itself at the bottom of the group with six points after a narrow 1-0 away defeat to Saudi Arabia last Thursday. Meanwhile, Australia sits in second place with 10 points following a dominant 5-1 home win over Indonesia.
In the six-team Group C, the top two finishers will qualify for the World Cup finals directly and the bottom two will be eliminated, while the third and fourth will enter the next phase of the qualification. So China must take points off the Socceroos to keep its World Cup qualification hopes alive.
"Australia is a strong team, and they participate in the World Cup regularly. They play very physical and fast football," Ivankovic said of the opponents." As we know, every point could change the whole group, and we will try to fight for every point."
Ivankovic revealed that Brazil-born naturalized Sai Erjiniao is expected to make his international debut on Tuesday.
"Sai didn't play in Saudi Arabia because we had to make passive substitution after the accidental red card. He hasn't played any official match since last November, and he needs to have better preparation physically. However, we expect he will play tomorrow to help the team with his quality performance," Ivankovic said.
The Croatian veteran coach also noted that four of his starting players Jiang Guangtai, Gao Zhunyi, Wang Shangyuan, Lin Liangming would not play due to injuries and suspension.
"It's normal in football. We are fully prepared, and I have confidence for all the players who will feature tomorrow," he said.
Chinese defender Li Lei said he and his teammates would play aggressively and tough at home. "Australia scored five goals from set pieces and fast breaks against Indonesia. We analyzed their tactics, and we will be as aggressive as possible to defend our home turf."
Australia beat China 3-1 at home in the first leg clash last October, when Australian head coach Tony Popovic made his debut for the Socceroos.
"It's been a bit of time since last game against China, but obviously, with the short amount of games and preparation that you have, it doesn't feel so long. We're making steps forward, adding players to the squad. We believe we're getting stronger," Popovic said.
"China had a couple of very good wins since we played them, which put them in a position that they can also qualify for the World Cup. China is well-organized and discipline team. It's a crucial match for both teams. We expect it will be a very difficult match tomorrow, but we are confident that we can win," he added.
