As for the other teams in the group, Uzbekistan's high points haul during their second round qualifying march has a serious question mark next to it after being defeated by North Korea 4-2 near the start of that campaign. Syria scored a remarkable 26 goals during the second round, one less than group winners Japan, and ranked higher than China in the runners up table. But their inability to make a mark against Japan during their group matches, which also saw them concede 8 goals, suggests that Syria struggle against organized competition. Ultimately, China will be looking to take 6 points off an inexperienced Syrian side. And as for Qatar, China is well-acquainted with the Middle Eastern side and will be confident of stealing at least a couple of points from the team in the hope of a third or second place finish.

Mark Dreyer, founder of China Sports Insider (www.chinasportsinsider.com), believes that the draw was as good as China could have hoped for. "If you look at the way the draw was structured, with the teams arranged in six pots of two, this was about as kind a draw as China could have expected," Dreyer told China Plus. He added, "Iran is the highest ranked team in the AFC, so they will be tough, and South Korea is the other strong contender in China's group, but each is arguably preferable to Australia and Japan, respectively. Of the other teams in Group A, China has recent wins over both Uzbekistan and Qatar, and if China can't beat Syria then they are really in trouble! The aim will be to finish third at a minimum and hope to advance through the inter-confederation play-offs, but if China can get home wins or away draws against either Iran or South Korea, they may just be able to sneak into the top two on goal difference."

Claims have been bandied around that China is aiming to win a World Cup within 15 years. Though these claims have certainly not come from the government, it will no doubt add to the amount of pressure that a long-beleaguered Chinese team already faces every time they step onto the pitch with the nation's weight of expectation on their shoulders. However, signals from the government, in their release of a long term plan through to 2050, should temper the nation's expectations this time round. It appears as if authorities are finally buying into the long term approach as pursued by countries like South Korea and Japan, who only began to see real results over a decade after implementing widespread grassroots schemes.

In reference to this sentiment, Mark Dreyer notes that, "Overall, the odds of reaching the World Cup are still stacked against China. Seven teams are ranked higher than China, with only four guaranteed to go to Russia. Some argue that China has nothing to lose, but the pressure on China is always huge and the recent drive to develop the entire football structure could create expectations far beyond what recent history suggests the team is capable of."

While it remains the right of every football fan to dream of "what if" scenarios, it is unlikely that China's sporting authorities are expecting China to have reached the Finals come September next year. Reaching this level of the competition should already be seen as progress for a team ranked 81st within the FIFA rankings. Nonetheless, fans will of course keep dreaming, and expectation will continue to weigh down a low ranked team with high aspirations.

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