Welsh rarin' for China challenge

Dragons call out host's star Wu ahead of Nanning showdown

Wales has thrown down the gauntlet ahead of Thursday's China Cup opener against the host squad in Nanning.

The Dragons' Tottenham leftback Ben Davies spiced up proceedings by singling out China's star striker Wu Lei in a video message on Twitter, saying: "Wales vs China, what a massive game. Wu Lei, see you in Nanning," before signing off in Chinese with: "Are you ready?".

Shanghai SIPG striker Wu responded on Weibo with an old Chinese saying: "Make friends through fight", and expressed his confidence about the game.

China's Italian coach Marcello Lippi admitted it will be a tough match.

"Wales is a very strong team. Their players' physical condition, and attacking and defensive capabilities are all very competitive. They are ready to play against anyone. We have to up our game in every aspect."

Spearheaded by Real Madrid superstar Gareth Bale, Euro 2016 semifinalist Wales heads into the clash as the clear favorite in manager Ryan Giggs' first match at the helm.

Wales, however, is obviously wary of Wu's firepower after the SIPG sniper fired four goals against Guanghzhou R&F last Sunday to take his Chinese Super League tally to seven goals in three matches.

Lippi described the four-team tournament, which also features Uruguay and the Czech Republic, as a "huge and important opportunity" for his team as it builds toward next year's AFC Asian Cup in the United Arab Emirates.

"This time we will face teams from Europe and South America, and that will be very difficult," said Lippi.

"It's hard but it's not only about the result. Only when facing stronger teams can we improve.

"Our plan is to focus on playing against more Asian teams after the China Cup in order to warm up for the Asian Cup next year."