by sportswriter Wei Hua
BEIJING, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- Appearing to turn the corner with a home victory against Indonesia in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, China needs to build on this momentum in the upcoming encounter with Bahrain.
Branko Ivankovic's side had a tough start in the qualifiers, opening with a 7-0 loss to Japan, before being turned over 2-1 by 10-man Saudi Arabia, and then fumbling a lead again to suffer a 3-1 loss in Australia.
But Ivankovic shook things up in the following fixture as China beat Indonesia 2-1 with goals from Behram Abduweli and Zhang Yuning, and Thursday's Bahrain clash provides China with another opportunity to steady the ship.
The top two teams in each six-team group will directly qualify for the World Cup, while the third and fourth-placed teams move into the next round of qualifying. China's first win at this stage, coupled with a series of mixed results from other teams in the previous games, have blown Group C wide open. Apart from group leader Japan, which has 10 points, the remaining five teams are separated by just two points.
After starting its qualifying campaign with a 1-0 win over Australia, Bahrain fell 5-0 to Japan, while remaining unbeaten in their last two games against Indonesia and Saudi Arabia, with a string of performances seeing the team now sit fourth in the table with five points. With a quick pace and transition, at least on paper, Bahrain is not weaker than Indonesia.
As it stands, a victory over Bahrain will drastically change China's situation in the group, and given that China will face top side Japan at home next Tuesday, the team needs to grit their teeth to fight for a good result.
However, a succession of injuries have befallen China, with captain Wu Lei possibly out for the remainder of the season with a knee injury.
Despite being called up to the China squad, Wu, Jiang Guangtai and Li Yuanyi are all nursing injuries. The team released a statement on Tuesday saying that Wu was forced to leave the training camp and return to China for treatment on a recurring injury.
Wu, who holds the Chinese Super League's single-season scoring record with 34 goals, and has made 99 international appearances, will now miss out on the following two crucial fixtures.
Without Wu, Behram and Zhang, goalscorers in the previous match, are likely to remain as China's go-to options, while some media outlets suggested that Lin Liangming may also have the chance to step into the starting lineup on the right wing to replace the suspended Xie Wenneng.
As right-back Gao Zhunyi, who provided an assist against Indonesia, is injured, Ivankovic may have to reshuffle the defensive line. If Jiang fails to make the cut, Ivankovic may trust Shanghai Shenhua duo Zhu Chenjie and Jiang Shenglong at center-back.
The good news for Ivankovic is that Li has returned to training, and the Shandong Taishan defensive midfielder has proved to be an integral role in the Croatian's tactical set-up. The 31-year-old is expected to do more than just protecting the goal, with his tireless running and ability to join the attack having added another dimension to China's play. ■
