China have no room for error when they play Guam in Group A of the Asian Qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and AFC Asian Cup China 2023 today.
The clash at the Suzhou Olympic Center Stadium comes 18 months after the last ball was kicked in Group A as the Covid-19 pandemic halted the Asian Qualifiers, with China eight points behind leaders Syria.
Although China have a match in hand, their hopes of advancing to the third round of the Asian Qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup depend on Syria dropping points in their remaining matches.
Head coach Li Tie, however, will urge his players to focus only on Guam as finishing second in the group could also see China advancing to the third round of the Asian Qualifiers. The eight group winners and four best second-placed teams will advance to the third round of the Asian Qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.
The number of best second-placed teams to advance could increase to five should 2022 FIFA World Cup hosts Qatar win Group E - a point which Li Tie will undoubtedly stress to his players.
While China will start as favourites against a Guam side still searching for their first point after five matches, they will be mindful to the fact that they failed to win their last two matches prior to Covid-19 halting the Asian Qualifiers.
A goalless draw with the Philippines was followed by a 2-1 defeat to Syria, leaving China - seeking to make the FIFA World Cup Finals for only the second time - in a precarious position.
The defeat against Syria led to Italian FIFA World Cup winner Marcello Lippi resigning, paving the way for former international Li Tie to take over as China head coach. “We are quite excited. From fans to the media, everyone is cheering for the Chinese national team in different ways. I would like to thank them for their support. We are ready for the match tomorrow, and we will play our best,” said Li Tie. Suh Dong-won’s Guam - despite being out of the running for a place in the next round of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Qualifiers - will be up for the challenge as there is still the possibility of them winning an automatic spot in the next stage of AFC Asian Cup China 2023 qualification.
This file photo taken on October 10, 2019 shows Chinese players celebrating a goal during against Guam in Guangzhou during their World Cup qualifier. China and Guam collide again today with the US island territory’s squad u2014 which includes high-school and college players u2014 trying to upset their Chinese hosts.