The journey of the Chinese national men's football team has always attracted much attention. In the just-concluded U23 Asian Cup qualifiers, although the national Olympic team finally stopped in the group stage, they defeated the United Arab Emirates 2:1 in the last game and finally ended successfully. And for the national football team, a very crucial World Cup qualifier is just around the corner - on June 6 at 8pm, they will host Thailand, who are second in the group.
The stakes are high and will directly determine the second place in the group. Since the strong South Korean team has already locked the top spot in the group in advance, for the Chinese team and the Thai team, this game is a direct matchup for the second place in the group. In the previous away competition, the national football team defeated Thailand 1:0, so the home battle on June 6 will be a key battle for the Chinese team to grasp the vitality. Once all three points are taken, the road to qualification is just around the corner.
However, the national football team suffered a heavy blow in this crucial battle - the top scorer Wu Lei was banned from the game after accumulating two yellow cards and was unable to play. Wu Lei has always been the leading scorer of the national football team, and he has recently broken through the opponent's door in the Chinese Super League, which can be described as a sufficient number of goals. His absence is undoubtedly the biggest loss for the national football team's offensive line.
Although Wu Lei has been criticized all year round, it is undeniable that in addition to him, it is really difficult to find a second player with such excellent and stable scoring ability. Whether it is a naturalized player or a local player, no one can insist on playing for the country and scoring valuable goals for the national team even if he is scolded like Wu Lei. Therefore, Wu Lei's absence is indeed a huge disadvantage to the attack power of the national football team.
So in the absence of Wu Lei, how should the forward line of the national football team be formed? According to the current situation, it is very likely that Zhang Yuning and naturalized player Alan will start together. Zhang Yuning, as a center forward, has always been an excellent choice among domestic players. Although Alan has not been selected for the national team for a long time, his form has indeed improved since returning to the Chinese Super League. Another naturalized player, Fernando, has also been in good form recently, and they will be the main force in the national team's attack.
In addition, domestic player Wei Shihao will also be an important means of breaking through the front line. Although Wei Shihao is often criticized for being too impulsive on the field, his individual assault can undoubtedly add a lot of help to the offensive line of the national football team.
However, it is a pity that the former top foreign aid and the main center Ackerson is now difficult to be reactivated by the new coach Ivankovic. Ivankovic has always favored naturalized players since he took charge of the national football team, and he also has a lot of respect for Ackerson, believing that even if he only plays a few minutes, he can play a key role. But since being re-drafted, Ackerson's performance in the national team has been below expectations. Coupled with the fact that his form and playing time are just as bad as he is back at the club, it is unlikely that Ackerson will be selected in this crucial battle.
In fact, this life-and-death battle with Thailand is crucial for the national football team. In the case of no hope of beating the strong opponent South Korea, winning the second place in the group is the last chance for the Chinese team to advance. Thailand, on the other hand, is a direct competitor to this last advance ticket. Therefore, the battle on June 6 will once again be decisive, and the defeat will only make the road to the national football team fall into the fog again.
We also hope that Ivankovic can arrange the deployment of personnel properly and do his best to mobilize the morale of the players. Even in the absence of Wu Lei, there are still many materials that can be created to serve as the main offensive force. Whether it is naturalized players Alain, Fernando, or native forwards Zhang Yuning, Wei Shihao and others, as long as they play their due strength, they will definitely be able to go all out in this key battle and escort the national football team's promotion dream.
In short, it will be a crucial battle of life and death. CCTV will also broadcast the whole game live, so that fans across the country can watch the battle of the national football team through TV. Of course, we hope that the team can be energetic and go all out on June 6th, complete the stunner with outstanding performance at home, and win valuable qualifications for themselves! I wish the national football team a smooth journey, and look forward to the team continuing to write a new glory of Chinese football in the World Cup qualifiers!