Asian Cup draw: China face South Korea but Marcello Lippi confident of qualifying from group stage
China open their tournament against Kyrgyzstan on January 7 before taking on the Philippines, while clash with Koreans could decide the group
Marcello Lippi has brushed aside China’s recent on-field troubles to declare himself ready to take on the continent’s best after seeing his side drawn to face South Korea in the group phase of next year’s Asian Cup finals.
Lippi’s team have not won any of their last seven games, with his side utterly outclassed in March’s China Cup friendly tournament as they slumped to a 6-0 loss at the hands of Wales before a 4-1 defeat against the Czech Republic.
But as the emphasis shifts towards the finals of the quadrennial continental championship following the draw at the base of Dubai’s formidable Burj Khalifa on Friday night, the World Cup-winning coach was recalibrating his approach ahead of a decisive nine months.
“We have a big gap with the European teams, but now we have to focus on the Asian teams and playing at the Asian Cup,” he said after seeing his team drawn in a group that also features Kyrgyzstan and the Philippines in the newly-enlarged competition.
Lippi will be only too happy to steer clear of non-Asian opposition after China also lost to Colombia and Serbia in November, and the national team will open their Asian Cup campaign in Al Ain against tournament debutants Kyrgyzstan on January 7.