Today (October 15), at 7:00 p.m., the Chinese team will face the Indonesian team in the third qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup.
At the pre-match press conference, China coach Branko Ivankovic said he had carefully studied his opponents.
"The Indonesian national team has many characteristics and looks like a European team because of the presence of many naturalized players.In the match against Bahrain, 10 out of 11 players on the field for the Indonesian team were naturalized players.Many of them were naturalized from Europe.Their skills and tactics are also more European than those of Asian teams.
We also have to analyze the playing style and characteristics of each opponent player to inform our players.I hope the Chinese team can show fierce pressure and play effectively in the upcoming match," Mr. Ivankovic shared.
Coach Ivankovic has only led the Chinese team since February 2023. However, he has not achieved good results with the team of the billion-people country. Despite owning a series of naturalized players, so far, the Chinese team's playing style has not been effective.
The Chinese team lost all their matches and is currently at the bottom of Group C in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, disappointing fans. Mr. Ivankovic is even likely to be fired if he loses to Indonesia in the upcoming match.
However, the strategist affirmed: "As a professional coach for 40 years, I have the ability to withstand this pressure. When faced with that pressure, I am ready to bear the consequences if I do not do well."
On the other hand, the difficulty for the Indonesian team is that they have to play away. Besides, coach Shin Tae-yong also does not have the strongest force when Jordi Amat got injured and had to leave the team.
However, the Indonesian team's captain is still confident. Mr. Shin Tae-yong said: "Although the Chinese team has lost 3 matches, I still highly appreciate the performance of this team. Indonesia will play as well as possible and hopefully, we will neutralize the opponent. I think, the chance of both teams in this match is 50/50".
