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Chinese national football team head coach Branko Ivankovic (left) attends a press conference on November 18, 2024 in Xiamen. Photo: Cui Meng/GT

The Chinese national football team's head coach Branko Ivankovic expressed his confidence in the team's preparations ahead of their World Cup Asian qualifier against Japan, despite injuries and suspensions affecting his choices of players.

Key players such as Zhang Yuning, who scored two goals over the last two matches and secured the team a vital six points, as well as domestic league top striker Wu Lei and Fei Nanduo are unavailable due to injuries. 

Similarly, forward Behram Abduweli will have to skip the match due to an accumulation of yellow cards. Despite facing these setbacks, Ivankovic remains adamant. 

"We have full trust in every player on the pitch and believe they'll deliver their best performance," the 70-year-old Croatian told a news conference on Monday through an interpreter. 

Ivankovic made no attempt to downplay the challenge when addressing Japan's strengths. 

"There's no need to say much - they are a world-class team. But we're playing at home, and I trust our players will give it their all without fear," he said. 

Plenty of the Japanese national team players are playing their club competitions overseas, including captain Wataru Endo in the English Premier League club Liverpool, Kaoru Mitoma with Brighton & Hove Albion and Takefusa Kubo of Spanish La Liga's Real Sociedad.

The Chinese national team players are all playing domestically in the Chinese Super League.

Reflecting on the Chinese team's journey so far in the Asian qualifiers, Ivankovic said he is satisfied with his team, who have secured six points from the first five matches, leveling with Australia and Saudi Arabia.

"Our efficiency has been excellent, second only to Japan in this group. We're pleased with the progress we've made," he added. 

Currently, the Chinese national team is sitting at the 92th place in the FIFA world rankings, 13th in Asia.

Having faced Japan earlier in the qualifiers, during which the national team conceded an embarrassing 7-0 defeat in September, Ivankovic emphasized the importance of experience. 

"After our first encounter, the players learned a lot and gained valuable experience. I believe we can play smarter and better this time," he said.  

Although the absence of key forwards presents a challenge for the team, Ivankovic ruled out drastic tactical changes. 

"The injuries will impact us, but we will stick to our formation and playing style. We won't change our approach dramatically because of personnel issues," he said. 

"Our young players are gaining experience and improving steadily. I'm confident they'll perform even better in the future."  

When asked by a Chinese reporter if Ivankovic is confident that the team can win against Japan, journalists at the press conference burst into laughter ahead of Ivankovic's response. 

"After you raised this question, your peers all burst into laughter," Ivankovic joked. "However, in a football match, nothing is impossible. We have to fight it out with real skills and effort, and any result is possible."

All the tickets for the match sold out on Friday, a day after the national team defeated Bahrain. 

Chinese national football team players take part in a training session on November 18, 2024 in Xiamen, East China's Fujian Province. The Chinese team will host Japan at home on November 19. Photo: Cui Meng/GT

Midfielder Wang Shangyuan echoed his coach's sentiments, emphasizing the confidence gained from past victories. "Winning brings confidence, and we now have a clearer understanding of the intensity required in these qualifiers. We're well-prepared and ready to apply what we've learned," Wang stated.  

Japanese national team head coach Hajime Moriyasu is optimistic about Tuesday's game, but noted the previous 7-0 win over China is no longer relevant to the match in Xiamen, East China's Fujian Province.

"We are very confident about tomorrow's match but need to ignite more fighting spirit. We must forget the 7-0 result from the first match and start as if it's 0-0," he told reporters on Monday. "The Chinese team is coming off two consecutive wins and is in excellent form. Therefore, we must carefully analyze their tactics and strive for victory."

The Japanese team is currently valued at 289.33 million euros ($305 million), while China's national team is valued at a humble 9.53 million euros, according to football marketing site transfermarkt.com.

After Tuesday's game, the World Cup Asian qualifiers will resume in March 2025.