On Tuesday Lippi was hit by the withdrawal of Zhang Linpeng due to shoulder and arm injuries. The Guangzhou Evergrande defender had been called up instead of 38-year-old captain Zheng Zhi, who Lippi assured fans would continue to don the red jersey and likened him to veteran Italy and Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon.

"The absence of Zheng Zhi is because of his injuries and he has not played for months," said Lippi.

"If he can continue his performances like the old days or even have better performances than the younger players, he will come back to the national team in the future, just like 40-year-old Buffon."

Win or lose against the Welsh, either the final or a third-place playoff against Uruguay or the Czechs awaits China on Monday.

With the World Cup finals in Russia just around the corner for Uruguay, coach Oscar Tabarez has taken a strong squad to Nanning, which includes Barcelona star Luis Suarez.

The Czech Republic, meanwhile, might be bereft of big names these days but it remains a country steeped in soccer history.

As Czechoslovakia, it was a two-time World Cup runnerup and 1976 European champion. Since independence, it was runner-up at Euro 96 and continues to produce sound technical players.

Guangzhou Evergrande defender Feng Xiaoting is relishing China's challenge.

"Everyone on our team is ready," he said. "We will face strong international opponents, and we are adjusting to that. We are looking forward to the game.

"Every game in the national team is important. For me, of course I'm under huge pressure. However, only when we participate in this kind of game can we improve."