Toughest test – Fortress Tehran awaits as China look to continue revival

The Standard – TEHRAN, If Marcello Lippi and China are to have any chance of going to the football World Cup next year, then they have to pass the toughest test in Asian football – a game against Iran in front of 100,000 fans in Teheran.

After six games of 10 already played in Group A in the final round of qualification, Iran are not only four points clear at the top but have yet to concede a goal in 540 minutes of football.

Iran are nine points clear of fifth- placed China after their latest clean sheet, a 1-0 win over Qatar last week. With the top two in the group progressing automatically to Russia, they need just two wins from the last four games to be certain of a second successive World Cup appearance.

“We are happy to be top of the group but there is still work to do,” Iran coach Carlos Queiroz said. “Lippi is a good coach and already we can see that China is better organized. It will be a tough game for us but we are ready.”

Lippi, World Cup winner with Italy in 2006, arrived in Beijing in October, charged with resurrecting the fortunes of Asia’s biggest underachieving team.

China head into tonight’s match on the heels their best result in years, a 1-0 victory over South Korea in Changsha – only a second win against their regional rivals in 32 meetings.

“I hope my team don’t get too self- satisfied with this,” Lippi said. “I hope they can have even better achievements. We know that Iran is going to be very difficult and we don’t have much time to prepare but we will try our best as always.”

While Lippi and Queiroz are basking in the glow of good results, other coaches around Asia are under pressure.

Uli Stielike has come under fire for becoming only the second coach in South Korea’s history to lose to China, which after a 1-0 loss in Iran marked a second defeat in three games for Asia’s most successful World Cup team.

Stielike apologized to fans after the defeat and received the public backing of Korean Football Association chief Chong Mong Gyu, who said talks of a coaching change are premature.

Failure to defeat Syria in Seoul would add to the pressure and put South Korea’s chances of a ninth successive World Cup appearance in serious doubt. Tottenham forward Son Heung Min returns from suspension.

In Group B, the big game is between third-placed Australia and fourth- placed United Arab Emirates in Sydney.

Australia have drawn their last four games, leaving them three points behind the two leaders, Saudi Arabia and Japan. Socceroos boss Ange Postecoglou has been criticized for experimenting with a new system in last week’s 1-1 draw with Iraq.