China head coach Marcello Lippi has announced a 23-man squad which will face India in a friendly on October 13th at the Suzhou Olympic Sports Centre Stadium (Suzhou).
16 of the 23 players named in the squad are plying their trade in the top four clubs of the Chinese Super League (CSL). The teams have met 17 times in the past out of which China have won 12. Five matches have ended in a draw.
The Chinese team are ranked 76th in the world while India are placed 97th. This will certainly be a good test for Stephen Constantine’s side as they prepare for the 2019 Asian Cup where they have been grouped alongside UAE, Thailand and Bahrain.
Shandong Luneng midfielder Jin Jingdao has been handed his first international call-up. Should he make his debut then it would be a remarkable turnaround for the Yanbian born-midfielder who led the China U-20 squad in his early years. He has scored six goals in 23 domestic appearances.
Interestingly, Zhang Xizhe has been dropped after the team’s poor display in their last two friendlies against Qatar and Bahrain. Yu Dabao and He Chao have been recalled as well after not being part of the squad last time around.
After the game against India, team Dragon will next face Syria in another friendly in Nanjing on October 16.
Goalkeepers: Zeng Cheng, Yan Junling, Zhang Lu
Defenders: Zhang Linpeng, Feng Xiaoting, Li Xuepeng, Yu Hai, Liu Yiming, Wang Tong, Yu Yang
Midfielders: Zheng Zhi, Yu Hanchao, Zhao Xuri, , Jin Jingdao, He Chao, Piao Cheng, Chi Zhongguo, Wu Xi, Mirahmetjan Muzepper
Strikers: Gao Lin, Wu Lei, Xiao Zhi, Yu Dabao
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