Chinese national football team players interact during a training session in Hangzhou, East China's Zhejiang Province on March 24, 2025, as they gear up for the crucial World Cup Asian qualifier against Australia on March 25. Photo: Cui Meng/Global Times

Chinese national team head coach Branko Ivankovic said his team is ready for the home game against Australia as the team faces an uphill battle to keep their World Cup hopes alive.

The Chinese team will walk into Tuesday' game after suffering a defeat in Saudi Arabia. The loss leaves China rooted to the bottom of Group C with just six points from seven matches, trailing third-place Saudis by three points and facing an uphill battle to secure a playoff berth. 

"Our team is prepared to the match. Australia plays the World Cup regularly, which means they are the better in physical abilities," the Croatian told reporters through an interpreter on Monday in Hangzh0u, East China's Zhejiang Province. "This is a very competitive group. We are playing against top teams in Asia." 

"We have been affected by injuries and suspensions," Ivankovic addressed the national team's shortage of players on Monday. "However, situations like this are quite common in football matches, and we have made adequate preparations."

At least four key players are unable to play for the game, including defender Jiang Guangtai, who was forced off due to injury, and forward Lin Liangming, who was dismissed for a red card. Midfielder Wang Shangyuan also picked up a yellow card, ruling him out of the upcoming match against Australia. 

Star striker Wu Lei and center back Zhu Chenjie, who have been sidelined for a while now, did not make into the latest squad for the Asian qualifiers.

"We need to be an intelligent team and get well-prepared to face all kinds of difficulties," Ivankovic said, noting his team has carried out targeted training sessions against the Australians. 

To address defensive gaps, the national team has recalled center back Wu Shaocong of Beijing Guoan and midfielder Huang Zhengyu of Shandong Taishan. 

To further bolster the squad, the national team has included five young players who trained in Dubai. 

Among them, under-20 player Wang Yudong's distinctive technical characteristics could provide a strategic advantage against Australia. 

"We have five young players in Dubai, including three under-23 players and two under-20 players. They are extremely proactive, and it's evident that they are a very promising generation of Chinese football players," Ivankovic said.

"As for this game, [under-20 player] Wang Yudong has more distinct technical characteristics, which is beneficial for us to utilize his skills. So, we'll just wait and see how the situation unfolds tomorrow."

Failure to secure points could leave them desperately needing wins against Indonesia and Bahrain in the remaining two rounds, while also hoping for favorable results elsewhere. 

With more than 67,000 tickets sold for the highly anticipated clash, the Chinese team will have the passionate support of home fans behind them. 

Fans have pinned their hopes on newly naturalized midfielder Serginho, who became a Chinese citizen in early March, as it is believed he can strengthen the national team's possession in the midfield. 

The Brazilian-turned-Chinese player did not make it onto the pitch in China's previous game against Saudi Arabia. Ivankovic said the planned lineup couldn't be implemented at that time due to an "unexpected player situation" in the last match.

"He didn't take part in systematic matches for a certain period after the end of last CSL season, so he also needs to get his body fully prepared. In this match, we will make decisions based on the in-game situation," Ivankovic said, before noting in English, "We expect him to play tomorrow."

Chinese defender Li Lei also acknowledged the opponents' capabilities. "The Australian team is physically strong, and their transitions are quite distinctive," Li told reporters. 

Regarding the defeat in the last game and the time difference, Li said that jet lag is not an excuse for not playing well.

"We have no excuse for saying that our physical condition will affect our performance. If I start the game and have the physical strength to play for 45 minutes, I will give my all for those 45 minutes. I also have faith in my teammates and the support of the fans," Li said. 

With Japan already qualified for the World Cup finals as group leaders (19 points), Australia (10 points) and Saudi Arabia (9 points) now occupy the second and third places, while Indonesia and Bahrain also sit on six points but hold superior goal differences over China (-11). The top two teams of the group will qualify for the World Cup finals while the third- and fourth-placed teams in the group will advance to the next round of qualifiers.

To stay in contention, China must collect at least seven points from their final three games, home fixtures against Australia (March 25) and Bahrain (June 10), plus an away clash with Indonesia (June 5). 

The Chinese team suffered a 3-1 defeat to Australia in the two sides' previous meet in October 2024.