On July 21st, “Football News” reported that China’s men’s national team’s opponents for the 18th round qualifiers have started taking action, with Bahrain even starting training in Slovenia.
Football News wrote: “Japan coach Moriyasu Hajime personally went to Germany to watch the European Cup, and will again visit Europe to inspect the men’s Olympic team participating in the Paris Olympics and other overseas national players. Australian coach Arnold also sent his assistant Mulensteen to Europe to collect information on overseas players, while also confirming the location of the first home game against the Chinese national team in the 18th round qualifiers. Saudi Arabia coach Mancini is also outlining the Saudi team’s roster, with at least six national team players who defied him in the Asian Cup, including goalkeeper Al-Oqidi, who is now out of suspension, being included in the initial list. Bahrain even started a two-week training camp in Slovenia yesterday, with head coach Talalich hoping to evaluate the players’ condition through training. Indonesian coach Shin Tae-yong completed pleurisy surgery in a timely manner, aiming to recover quickly and return to Indonesia in mid-August.”
As the first opponent in the 18th round qualifiers, the Japanese team boasts a star-studded lineup. Japan coach Moriyasu Hajime will not only be observing players from the men’s Olympic team through the Olympics but also the condition of overseas main players. It is expected that Moriyasu will announce the first roster for the 18th round qualifiers in late August. The performance of overseas players in pre-season games and the opening of the league will be the main criteria for selection.
Bahrain has already gone to Slovenia for a two-week training camp, led by former Henan Jianye Croatian head coach Talalich. This training camp included a total of 30 players, with warm-up matches against two top league clubs, including Lokomotiva Zagreb.
Saudi Arabia will start training on September 2nd to prepare for their first match against Indonesia, followed by a chartered flight directly to Dalian. By then, the Saudi league will have already started for two rounds, giving Mancini ample time to evaluate players. The game between Australia and the Chinese national team will be played at Adelaide United’s home ground. Australia’s head coach Arnold and his coaching staff will also go to Europe to observe players, especially Ilangonda, who has officially joined Bayern Munich, will be closely monitored. Indonesian coach Shin Tae-yong has undergone meningitis surgery and is expected to return to the team in early August. However, the naturalization process in Indonesia is still ongoing, with defender Ferdonk, who plays for the Dutch club Nijmegen, having already completed the naturalization process in June. Indonesia hopes to complete the naturalization of 2-3 more players before the 18th round qualifiers, making Indonesia, with its “naturalized army,” a formidable opponent.
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