China Sets Sights on Victory Against Indonesian National Team

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Chinese national team will arrive in Jakarta this Monday night, June 2, 2025, to prepare to face the Indonesian national team in the 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers in the Asian zone third round. Both teams will compete at the Gelora Bung Karno Main Stadium, Senayan, on Thursday at 20:45 local time.

The PSSI (Football Association of Indonesia) media team reported that the Chinese national team delegation will arrive at Terminal 3 of Soekarno-Hatta Airport, Tangerang, Banten, on Monday at 22:30. They are flying using China Eastern MU.

China aims to secure a victory before their final match in Group C against Bahrain at Longxing Football Stadium, Chongqing, last June 10 at 18:00. They want to win their last two matches of this phase to improve their standing at the bottom of the group.

China is at the bottom of Group C with six points, the same as Bahrain, above them. Their score is three points behind Indonesia, which is in fourth place. Japan has 20 points and has already been confirmed as the group leader and finalist for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Australia holds the second position with 13 points, followed by Saudi Arabia in third place with 10 points.

If they can win against Indonesia, China still has the chance to finish in the top four, which will pave the way to fight through the fourth round. "The next two matches are key. We must fight for victories," said Chinese national team coach Branko Ivankovic, as quoted from Xinhua.

In the last match, China lost to Australia 0-2. After that defeat, Ivankovic is determined to guide his team to defeat Indonesia and Bahrain. He regrets that his players are still having difficulty converting opportunities into goals.

On the other hand, the Indonesian national team also carries the same ambition. Coach Patrick Kluivert poses a threat to China ahead of the match. "They must watch out for us because we are playing at home. We must dominate the game, and they must be careful of us. Of course, we do not underestimate our opponents," said Kluivert in Sanur, Denpasar, Bali, last Sunday, as quoted from Antara.

This match against China will be Kluivert's third match with the Garuda squad since being recruited in January as a replacement for Shin Tae-yong. In preparation for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, he held a training camp for almost a week at the Bali United Training Center in Gianyar Regency, Bali.

He believes his players are confident, which is an important asset when facing the Dragons, after the previous meeting ended in a 1-2 defeat at Qingdao Stadium, China, on October 15 last year. "We discussed a lot about China, and we have analyzed it. Unfortunately, at that time, we didn't get a good result, and I was not yet the coach of Indonesia. Now, this is a new match at home, we are confident, we have put together a very good team," said Kluivert.

The Indonesian national team will play an away match against Japan five days after facing China. The match will be the final game in Group C of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers in the Asian zone.

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