Physically And Mentally Recovered, The Indonesian National Team Is Ready To Fight Against China

Illustration. Hundreds of Indonesian citizens were present to support the Indonesian national team against Jordan in the 2024 U-23 Asian Cup match at the Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium, Doha, Sunday, April 21, 2024. (Between)

JAKARTA - The Indonesian national team is in full readiness to face China on the fourth matchday of the 2026 World Cup Qualification. Although it had slumped due to the victory that was robbed against Bahrain, now the Garuda Squad is confirmed in a physically and mentally ready situation.

Currently, the Indonesian national team is in China to prepare for the host at the Qingdao Youth Football National Stadium, Qingdao, China on Tuesday, October 15 evening WIB.

Before arriving in China, the Indonesian national team was held to a draw by Bahrain (2-2) at the Bahrain National Stadium, Riffa last Thursday. The draw was controversial because Bahrain's second goal was created when the match was more than an additional time set.

However, the Indonesian national team has forgotten the bitter match and is now ready to look at the match against China physically and mentally. The manager of the Indonesian national team, Sumardji, confirmed that the players are now focused on preparing to fight China.

"Untuk update perkembangan para pemain, kondisinya semuanya sangat baik. Sekarang ini para pemain sedang melaksanakan kegiatan latihan, ada yang gym, ada juga yang di lapangan," kata Sumardji dalam keterangan dikutip Minggu, 13 Oktober.

"And from the development because it is quite encouraging, we all focus on improving from yesterday during the match against Bahrain," he continued.

On the other hand, even though the last match against Bahrain ended in a draw, the Indonesian national team is still unbeaten in Group C in the third round of the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers. The Garuda squad is now in fifth place with a collection of three points.

Victory against China is a fixed price for the Indonesian national team. The reason is, only two teams, namely group winners and runners-up, can qualify directly for the 2026 World Cup. Meanwhile, third and fourth place must continue the struggle in the fourth round.