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China Adopting Siege Mentality Ahead of Crucial World Cup Clash
China have erected a great wall of silence as they prepare to face Qatar in a World Cup qualifying match that could see them take a giant step towards the 2002 finals.
With the under-achieving Asian giants aiming to qualify for the World Cup for the first time in history, Bora Milutinovic's squad are not giving anything away ahead of Friday's game in Doha.
Training locations have been kept a secret and Qatari reporters and photographers assembled at grounds booked by the Chinese for practice have found themselves staring at empty pitches this week.
Several of Milutinovic's team - who have helped China to the top of Group B with two wins out of two - were survivors of the 1997 debacle in Dalian which scuppered their 1998 World Cup qualification bid.
On that occasion China were 2-0 up and seemingly cruising to victory, only for Qatar to roar back and steal a 3-2.
Milutinovic has spent the past two years attempting to instil steel amongst the Chinese, who had developed a reputation for choking on the big occasion in the past.
Aware of China's suspect temperament, Qatar coach Dzemal Hadziabdic had sought to make conditions for this week's game as inhospitable as possible for the visitors.
But the coach's plea to switch the venue from the 45,000-seat Khalifa Stadium to the intimate Al-Arabi Stadium fell on deaf ears.
"A packed house waving Qatar flags and cheering the national team at the top of their voices would have definitely had a positive impact on Qatar's chances unlike at the Khalifa which is never full to capacity," Hadziabdic complained.
Like Milutinovic, who believes his job is on the line even though China have made the perfect start to World Cup qualifiers, Hadziabdic is feeling the heat.
Qatar have drawn with Oman, lost against Uzbekistan but beaten the United Arab Emirates. A defeat on Friday would leave them five points behind China, having played a game more.
It would also leave Hadziabdic at risk of suffering the same fate as the coaches of Saudi Arabia, Iraq and the UAE, all of whom have been sacked or resigned since Asia's qualifying second phase began.
In Group B's other match this weekend, Uzbekistan take on Oman in Tashkent on Saturday. Victory would put the central Asians right back in the hunt following their 2-1 win against Qatar on August 26.
Meanwhile in Group A Peter Withe's Thailand - still on a high after scaring the life out of mighty Iran last weekend - go to Bahrain with renewed hope for their match on Thursday.
The Thais, playing in the second phase of qualifying for the first time, showed they have absorbed the lessons of a 4-0 thrashing by Iraq in their first match with Saturday's deserved result against Iran.
"We got it wrong against Iraq - but you saw the true Thailand against Iran," said former Aston Villa and England international Withe, who has achieved hero status during three years in Thailand.
"Bahrain are top of the group but we won't be scared of them," he added.
Meanwhile Iran will attempt to rediscover the form that took them to a 2-0 win over Saudi Arabia in their first match when they face Iraq.
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