China head coach Li asks players to ‘cherish’ last WC qualifier against Oman

MUSCAT - China's national football team head coach Li Xiaopeng has asked all his players to cherish the opportunity to play their last World Cup qualifier here on Tuesday against Oman.

"For some veteran players in the team, it will be the last time for them to play a World Cup qualifier. I want them to enjoy football. All my players should cherish the opportunity to represent China," Li noted at the pre-match press conference on Monday.

Although both teams have already failed to qualify for the Qatar World Cup, Li said every international match matters for the national team. "We have to do our best to show our quality. I hope my players can play their own game without any distractions and we can have a good result," he added, also citing the main reason for China's early elimination is the lack of quality.

The 47-year-old coach also told the press that several players were injured in the match against Saudi Arabia last Thursday, but didn't reveal specific names. "I have to change at least two players in the starting lineup. All the substitute players have the ability to fill the vacancy, but the key is to adapt the pace of the match."

"The Oman side has very unique tactics in corner kicks. They scored in a corner in our first-leg meeting. We did some targeted trainings to make sure our defense can handle it properly," Li said.

Oman team head coach Branko Ivankovic also expressed his ambitions to win the match. "Tomorrow is the last meeting of the journey, we play in front of our fans, and we strive to perform well despite the disqualification. The players understand the difficulty of the match. We have 11 points now, and we seek for 14 points to improve our ranking, and to advance over China."

"The confrontation is very important to us and we will enter it with the aim of winning," the Croatian coach added.