Li wants his struggling team to play at home

BEIJING • China coach Li Tie wants his players to experience the confidence boost of playing their Asian World Cup qualifiers in front of their own supporters, as they prepare to return home after a challenging two-month stint in the Middle East.

The former Everton midfielder takes his squad back to China next Wednesday, after witnessing the impact of a partisan crowd when his side lost 3-2 to Saudi Arabia in front of more than 50,000 fans at Jeddah's King Abdullah Sport City.

China have yet to play at home in the final phase of the Asian World Cup qualifiers due to Covid-19 restrictions, but Li is hoping that will soon change.

"We really want to play our home games in front of the Chinese fans, it will be a great motivation to our players," he said after their third loss in four games.

The Chinese, who are attempting to qualify for the World Cup for the first time since their debut appearance in 2002, have played all four of their matches on foreign soil.

Pandemic restrictions in China have disrupted their preparations, forcing them to base themselves in the Gulf since August and cede home advantage in their games against Japan and Vietnam.

China are scheduled to play their next two games, against Oman and Australia, at home next month. But no decision has yet been reached on where those matches will be played.

Chinese media reported that football authorities are mulling over the possibility of playing their home qualifiers in China. Suzhou has applied to host the next two home games and the Chinese Football Association and relevant government departments are considering it, reported Guangzhou-based Soccer News on Thursday.

While they won against Vietnam last week, China lost to Japan, Australia and Saudi Arabia and Li believes a lack of match sharpness is hurting his side's World Cup hopes.

"My team need to play more high-quality friendly matches and all the players have to adapt to the fast tempo of the final round of World Cup qualifiers," he said. "We will work very hard to fight for better results in the following matches."

China, with one win and three losses, sit nine points behind Group B leaders Saudi Arabia, who have the maximum 12 points from their first four games. Australia are second with nine points.

The top two from both six-team groups qualify for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar automatically. The two third-placed teams will then face each other in a two-legged play-off, with the winner entering an intercontinental play-off.

REUTERS, XINHUA