KUALA LUMPUR: China's coach yesterday insisted his team was in good shape for the make-or-break Group C clash with Uzbekistan despite a rash of injuries and the loss of suspended captain Zheng Zhi. Zhu Guanghu, whose central defender Li Weifeng has also picked up two yellow cards, said China had plenty of replacements for the influential pair.

Goalkeeper Li Leilei, Zheng Bin, Zhou Haibin will all take late fitness tests.

Defeat to Uzbekistan, nearly 30 places higher in the world rankings, will dump China out of the Asian Cup and probably mean the sack for the embattled Zhu.

"We've got 23 excellent players and those who haven't played yet are in a better condition," said the coach.

"So I'll change the line-up on Wednesday and I think it will be a good match."

Zhu dismissed suggestions that China would fail to reach the knock-out stage for the first time since 1980, and said he was still aiming at the last four.

"Our goal is to get to the semifinals and our team is getting better each game, so we're sure we can achieve this goal," he said.

However, Bundesliga midfielder Shao Jiayi admitted the loss of Li and Zheng, who impressed at Charlton Athletic this season and is seeking a return to the Premier League, was significant.

"The absence of Zheng Zhi and Li Weifeng will definitely affect our team," said the Energie Cottbus man.

"They've been very important for us in the last two matches, especially Zheng Zhi. But we've been improving match by match and I'm sure we'll get a good result on Wednesday."

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