Zheng expressed his confidence in winning the match or even finally advancing to the World Cup finals since it might be his last chance.

"For me, this might be the last chance to compete in a World Cup. I will not give up until the last minute," said Zheng, who will be 34 for the 2014 World Cup.

"All the national team players about my age will treasure this opportunity. We will try to beat Iraq and set up a beautiful start for future matches."

China's soccer team has been rife with pessimism since China was drawn into the "group of death" for its third-round World Cup qualifier. The difficult group also includes former Oceania champion Australia, Asian Cup champion Iraq and Asian Games champion Qatar.

But both Zheng and coach Petrovic are upbeat about their opening clash.

"We are coming here to win. I did a lot of work to know our opponent. I do not see any place that we can not match them," said Petrovic. "And I also know that day is Chinese New Year's Eve. I will give the best gift to Chinese people and make sure everyone has a happy new year."

Zheng echoed the coach's remarks, saying history favors China.

"Iraq is the Asian Cup champion but it does not mean it's the No 1 in Asia," he said.

"In the 2004 Asian Cup, we beat them 3-0 on home soil. In the 2006 Asian Cup qualifier, we drew 1-1 but we controlled the match. They did not change too much and some of the best players are still on the team. There is no reason to be afraid of them."

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