Will China depend on Urey (33, Shanghai Haigang).
China, led by head coach Branco Ivankovic, will meet South Korea in the sixth Group C match of the second Asian regional qualifying round for the North and Central America World Cup, which will kick off at 8 p.m. on the 11th at Seoul World Cup Stadium.
China is ranking second in the group with eight points (two wins, two draws and one loss). It is three points shorter than the third-ranked Thailand (five points with one win, two draws and two losses). If it adds one more point, it can confirm its advance to the final qualifying round for the World Cup. However, its variable is that Thailand faces the weakest Singaporean team (one point) at home. China is leading Thailand (-2) with a goal difference of +1, but the gap can be reversed as much as possible depending on the result of the final match.
However, China cannot play against Korea with full capacity. Midfielder Li Yuanyi (Shandong Taishan) cannot play as he left the match against Thailand, while major defender Zhang Linpeng was not included in the list.
On top of that, Brazilian naturalized striker Alan Carvalho (Qingdao) will not be able to play in the match against Korea due to muscle injury. Having been selected for Brazil’s U-20 national team in the past, Alan is a naturalized player in China in 2021. He has scored three goals in 10 A matches.
Other naturalized strikers Elkeson (Chengdu Longcheng) and Fernandinho (Shandong) have failed to perform their part. Notably, Fernandinho missed a penalty kick in the fifth match against Thailand.
For China, it is comforting for him to come back after missing the accumulated number of warnings. He failed to play in the fifth game against Singapore due to accumulated number of warnings. He is truly the representative striker of China. He also scored 13 goals in 15 matches for his team this season. He has scored 36 goals in 96 A matches. 안전놀이터
Urey has also scored five goals in the second qualifying round for the World Cup. In the match against Korea held at home in November last year, Urey was blocked by Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich) and thus failed to display threatening performance. It is uncertain whether Urey will play or not. Coach Ivankovic mentioned Urey’s injury at a press conference, but Urey made appearance at China’s official training camp.
If China fails to pass the second qualifying round, Ivankovic will also be in jeopardy. “South Korea, which needs a top seed, will not show mercy to China,” Chinese media Sohu Dotcom said. “If Korea fails to pass the second qualifying round for the World Cup, we cannot rule out the possibility of Ivankovic’s replacement.”