Marcello Lippi and China face toughest World Cup 2018 qualification test yet in Iran

If Marcello Lippi and China are to have any chance of getting to Russia, they are going to have to pass what is the toughest test in Asian soccer

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China head coach Marcello Lippi faces a huge task in Tehran on Tuesday night. Photo: Xinhua

Published: 3:48pm, 27 Mar 2017Updated: 10:44pm, 27 Mar 2017

If Marcello Lippi and China are to have any chance of going to the 2018 World Cup then they are going to have to pass what is the toughest test in Asian soccer – a game against Iran in front of 100,000 fans in Tehran.

After six games in group A in the third round of qualification, Iran are not only four points clear at the top but have yet to concede a single goal in 540 minutes of soccer. Their latest clean sheet came in a 1-0 win in Qatar on Thursday.

Iran are nine points clear of China in fifth and with the top two in the group progressing automatically to Russia, need just two wins from their last four games to be certain of a second successive World Cup appearance.

China captain Zheng Zhi celebrates after the World Cup 2018 qualifier win over South Korea at Helong Stadium in Changsha. Photo: EPA

“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 are better organised,” added the former Real Madrid coach. “It will be a tough game for us but we are ready to keep trying to get the point to qualify once again.”

Lippi, World Cup winner with Italy in 2006, arrived in Beijing in October, charged with resurrecting the fortunes of Asia’s biggest underachieving team that has reached just one World Cup, back in 2002.