Chinese team to play 10 matches to prepare for Asian Games

BEIJING - Chinese men's football team will play 10 matches in February and March as part of their preparation for this year's Hangzhou Asian Games.

The Chinese side, comprised of 24 under-24 players for the Asian Games, departed for Dubai, the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday after completing a 10-day training camp in Foshan, Guangdong province, according to a press release from the Chinese Football Association (CFA).

The players have had compact training at the camp under head coach Aleksandar Jankovic, said the release.

"We had two training sessions every day from Monday to Saturday. Only on Sunday afternoon, we had a rest," the release quoted an unnamed player as saying.

The Chinese side, who played only seven competitive matches over the past three and half years, need high-quality games to whip them into shape, the CFA said in its release.

They will play eight games in Dubai before going to New Zealand to play two more against the hosts.

"The core of the Asian Games team preparations in 2023 is to play more high-quality games," the release said.

The Asian Games is scheduled from Sept 23 to Oct 8 in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province.