The two national teams will play on matchday No. 2 of the tournament, and both are in desperate need of points to improve their chances of going through to the knockout stage.
China were able to pick up a point on matchday No. 1 against Tajikistan in a boring nil-nil draw.
Defending champions Qatar clinched a 3-0 victory against Lebanon in the #AsianCup2023 opener. Lebanon's next match is against China on January 17, calling for a proactive approach.[pic: @afcasiancup ] pic.twitter.com/cOQcHPIXvh— Fa Lebanon | Lebanese Football Media (@FALebanon) January 12, 2024
Defending champions Qatar clinched a 3-0 victory against Lebanon in the #AsianCup2023 opener. Lebanon's next match is against China on January 17, calling for a proactive approach.[pic: @afcasiancup ] pic.twitter.com/cOQcHPIXvh
The teams combined for 30 shots but could only tally two shots on target apiece. The Chinese had 48% of the possession.
Lebanon, on the other hand, fell 3-0 to hosts Qatar. The Lebanese only trailed 1-0 at halftime but quickly gave up a second goal after the restart.
The match looked set for a 2-0 Qatar win until the hosts scored in second-half stoppage-time through Akram Afif.
Despite being held scoreless and conceding three times, Lebanon still tallied nine shots and five on target – the same number of shots on target as Qatar. However, Lebanon conceded 62% of the match’s possession to Qatar.
The top two teams go through in each group along with the four best third-place teams.
Going through in first or second may be difficult for either team. However, finishing as one of the four best third-place teams could be doable.
China failed to win their last four matches in all competitions. They scored just one goal during that same time span.
The Chinese Super League was supposed to bring in a new generation of domestic talent.
Yet, the CSL has failed to develop homegrown players. In January, in the build-up for the Asian Cup, China hit a new low, losing 2-1 to Hong Kong in a friendly. Changchun Yatai forward Tan Long scored China’s only goal in their last four matches.
Lebanon lost their last two matches in all competitions. Like China, Lebanon struggled to score in recent matches.
The Cedars were held scoreless by Saudi Arabia 1-0 and Qatar 3-0 in those two fixtures.
Matches between these teams have been few and far between over the years. Just two matches between Lebanon and China were held between 2009 and 2024. China won both fixtures by a combined score of 3-0.
However, both matches were played all the way back in 2009. Still, defeating China after a poor defensive performance against Qatar will be a difficult task for Lebanon. The Cedars have never progressed past the group stage in previous Asian Cup appearances.
Forebet predicts that China will record a victory in a low-scoring encounter.