With no specific goals openly declared for the AFC Asian Cup in Qatar, the Chinese men's national football team is believed to aim at the quarterfinal finish.

Players of China line up before an international freindly match between New Zealand and China in Auckland, New Zealand, March 23, 2023. (Xinhua/Guo Lei)

For the players, they may expect more as China forward Wu Lei has expressed his wishes to surpass the team's last-eight finish at the previous Asian Cup.

Slated for January 12 to February 10, the quadrennial tournament kicked off this Friday night. China finds itself in Group A alongside Tajikistan, Lebanon, and host Qatar. While reigning Asian Cup champion Qatar faces Lebanon in the opening match on Friday night, China takes on Tajikistan on Saturday.

In the lead-up to the event, the Chinese team suffered 2-0 and 2-1 defeats against Oman and Hong Kong, China, respectively, during a three-week training camp. These outcomes have raised concerns about their prospects at the tournament. Nevertheless, early problem identification and resolution are beneficial for the team to reach peak performance when it matters most.

"Our training went a bit stronger at the beginning, and we were a bit heavier during these preparation games," said head coach Aleksandar Jankovic in an exclusive interview with Xinhua.

"I did it with purpose, because we need to fuel the engine for the following month and strong tests in the competition. So I put the result of the preparation games in the second," he further elaborated.

"But now we are getting better and better, and running faster and faster, so we will be ready for the competition."

Having missed out on the 2022 FIFA World Cup, China is eager to regain confidence at this continental tournament, which offers crucial opportunities to compete against the best teams in the Asia.

Despite ranking above its first opponent, Tajikistan, China anticipates a challenging encounter against the tournament newcomers. Under the guidance of Croatian head coach Petar Segrt, Tajikistan achieved an unbeaten streak in the final round of Asian Cup qualifying matches, earning their debut in a major international tournament.

With a foundation in solid defense and an attacking approach, Tajikistan aspires to surprise and advance from the group stage, despite Qatar and China being the favored teams to proceed from Group A.

As a two-time runner-up, the Chinese team needs victories against both Tajikistan and Lebanon to guarantee a spot in the last 16 before their match against Qatar, widely regarded as the group favorite and potential tournament winner.

Challenges such as a lack of effective midfield organization and goal-scoring sharpness have long hindered the Chinese team, whose best result has been the quarterfinal finish in nearly two decades.

Leading striker Wu Lei, however, expresses confidence in overcoming these issues.

"With all preparations that we have made, including previous matches and training, we are ready to win our first game," he stated before a training session on Thursday.

For Jankovic, the team's potential and strength are evident, following their performances against Thailand and South Korea in the World Cup qualifiers last November. He aims to leverage the Asian Cup experience in preparation for future World Cup qualifiers in March.

"We will use these experiences to go all the way in this Asian Cup as far as possible," Jankovic affirmed. "We know that if we are at the peak of our level, we can match up with the strongest teams in Asia."

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