2026 World Cup Qualification October 15: Prediction Of The Indonesian National Team's Composition In China

JAKARTA - The Indonesian national team will play the fourth party to qualify for the 2026 World Cup in the Asia Group C zone for the third round against China at the Qingdao Youth Football Stadium on Tuesday, October 15 starting at 19.00 WIB.

Shin Tae-yong's troops have arrived in the city about 659 kilometers from Beijing and are continuing to train for this match. The Indonesian national team drew 2-2 in the previous match in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Bahrain.

In this match at the Bahrain National Stadium in Riffa, Bahrain took the lead thanks to Mohamed Marhoon's goal in the 15th minute. Indonesia took the lead after Ragnar Oratmangoen's goal at the end of the first half and Rafael Struick (74). However, Bahrain was able to equalize the score after Marhoon scored his second goal in the 90+9 minute.

Marhoon's reply became a polemic because it was printed during the 90+9 minute, even though the fourth referee showed that the additional time was only 6 minutes. This controversy sparked criticism from the supporters of the Indonesian national team against referee Ahmed Al Kaf from Oman because his decision was considered detrimental.

While China was defeated by the host Australia 1-3 on its visit to the Kangaroo continent. China took the lead after Xie Wenneng scored in the 20th minute. However, Australia equalized the score at the end of the first half scored by Lewis Miller.

Tony Polovic's new coaching team took the lead thanks to a goal scored by Craig airing in the 53rd minute along with Nishan Velupillay as the game entered the 90+2 minute.

This result is a series against Bahrain, making Indonesia perched in fifth position with three points. Meanwhile Bahrain occupies the fourth position with four points.

Japan is at the top with a collection of nine points. Saudi Arabia is in second place with four points. Australia is in third place with a collection of four points. China is still the caretaker because it has not yet won points.

Arriving in China, the Indonesian national team immediately held a practice at the Qingdao Tiantai Stadium on Saturday (12/10/2024).

It was seen that the players were enthusiastic again and focused on preparing themselves. Head coach Shin Tae-yong also divided the practice session that morning into two groups.

Due to a long journey, almost ten hours. So today the training is divided into two groups, for those in hotels for players competing against Bahrain, they get material at the gym center. Meanwhile, players who did not play yesterday practiced normally on the field," said Shin Tae-yong after leading the training session.

Regarding the player's condition, the 53-year-old coach said there were no significant problems in the team's body. Only Jordi Amat and Sandy Walsh have suffered minor injuries and will recover in the near future.

Besides Jordi Amat and Sandy Walsh who suffered minor injuries, everything is fine. We just need to adapt to the time and weather. Because the weather is different from the previous one," he added.

Seeing the performance against Bahrain and this training, coach Shin Tae-yong seems to already have a choice of players who will appear against China.

The South Korean coach is likely to field Rafael Struick as a mainstay in the front row. The Brisbane Roar striker will be supported by Malik Risaldi and Ragnar Oratmangoen. This front line will be supported by Eliano Reijnders, Nathan Tjoe-A-On, Thom Haye, and Calvin Verdink.

The back row will be filled with Mees Hilgers, Jay Idzes, and Rizky Ridho. In the match against Bahrain, Rizky did perform better than Jordi Amat, who appeared as a starter.

PSSI General Chair Erick Thohir hopes that Indonesian national team players can maintain focus when facing China in the continuation of the third round of the 2026 Asian Zone World Cup qualifiers.

Previously, Erick appreciated the struggle of Jay Idzes and his teammates who almost won against the host Bahrain. In the match which took place at the Bahrain National Stadium on Thursday (10/10/2024) ended with a 2-2 draw.

"This is football. Many factors affect the final result. The chance to win is lost during injury time. In the future, I ask all those involved in the Indonesian national team, from players, coaches, to officials, to focus on the next match against China. Prove that we can steal more points at home to opponents. I also encourage supporters to continue to provide moral support to players," said Erick Thohir in Jakarta, Friday (11/10/2024) quoted from the PSSI website.

Predictions of the line-up:

China (4-4-2): Dalei Wang; Hetao Hu, Tyias Browning, Shenglong Jiang, Lei Li; Wenneng Xie, Shangyuan Wang, Yuanyi Li, Shihao Wei; Fernandinho, Yuning Zhang. Coach: Branko Ivankovic.

Indonesia (3-4-2-1): Maarten Paes; Mees Hilgers, Jay Idzes, Rizki Ridho; Eliano Reijnders, Nathan Tjoe-A-On, Thom Haye, Calvin Verdok; Malik Risaldi, Ragnar Oratmangoen; Rafael Struick. Coach: Shin Tae-yong.