The game against Qatar in the Asian Cup will be decisive for China: they need to score and they need to win to have at least a chance to qualify for the knockout rounds.
So far, The Dragon's Team have been registering only 0-0 draws. Cup hosts Qatar could be lacking motivation because they have already secured a place in the playoffs. So, will China use their perfect chance to make a statement?
According to bookmaker Betobet, only one Chinese player, Lei Wu, is in the top 5 of most likely goalscorers for Qatar vs China:
If we convert the odds on Lei Wu to score into percentages it will be almost 28% for any of two halves and 14% for each half.
Is Lei Wu really so good? The 32-year-old winger is a regular nominee for China's Best Footballer of the Year but his name is relatively unknown to global football fans. That's because he has spent most of his career in the Chinese league, except the stint at Espanyol between 2019 and 2021.
Lei Wu in his Espanyol days:
So far, he has 33 goals and 9 assists in 95 games but we're yet to see his goalscoring talents at this year's Asian Cup.
Interestingly, tomorrow Lei Wu will be playing against his brothers in faith. The winger is of Hui ethnicity and is a Muslim. He and captain Linpeng Zhang are the only two known Muslims in the team which is no surprise: only two per cent of the Chinese population stick to this religion.
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