by Sportswriter Ma Bangjie

FOSHAN, China, March 17 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese U-17 national team departed for West Asia on Monday, aiming to make an impact at the upcoming AFC U-17 Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia despite struggling with injuries to key players.

China secured its place in the tournament with an impressive qualifying campaign last October, scoring 19 goals and conceding only two. However, preparations were disrupted by a string of injuries during a recent training camp in Foshan, Guangdong Province of China.

"Almost half of the team's starters are injured and are currently undergoing treatment and recovery," head coach Kenichi Uemura from Japan said after a 2-0 defeat to China's U-18 team in a closed-door practice match last week.

Playing without five key players, the U-17 squad failed to register a single shot on goal, raising concerns about its form ahead of the tournament. Among those sidelined was team captain Hebibilla Nurhaji, who watched from the sidelines after twisting his ankle during training. Attacking midfielder Yao Junyu, winger Wang Yi, right-back Wang Gengrui, and central defender Ailinizhaer Luoheman are also dealing with injuries of varying severity.

"Our plan in Foshan was to regain match fitness quickly, but the high number of injuries disrupted our preparations," Uemura said. He remains uncertain whether the injured players will recover in time for the tournament. "We'll rely on the team doctors' diagnoses and hope they can return as soon as possible. What is certain is that they are eager to train again."

AIMING BEYOND WORLD CUP

As the winners and runners-up of the four groups in the Asian Cup will qualify for the FIFA U-17 World Cup finals, China, which has missed the World Cup finals for eight times in straight, will play all-out to grasp this opportunity.

"From the team's perspective, the primary goal is to advance from the group stage and secure World Cup qualification, then strive for the best possible result," Uemura said. "Some players have spoken about winning the title. Whether or not that happens, having such ambition is a positive mindset."

On Monday, Uemura took 27 players, including the injured ones, to Dubai for a pre-tournament training camp. Goalkeeper Ihsen Ilham emphasized the importance of the upcoming sessions. "We hope to use these training sessions and matches to fine-tune our form, saving our best performance for the first game against Saudi Arabia," he said.

GROUP STAGE CHALLENGES AHEAD

China will face host Saudi Arabia on April 3 before taking on Uzbekistan and Thailand in the Asian Cup group stage.

In the last edition of the U-17 Asian Cup two years ago, Uzbekistan reached the semifinals, and Saudi Arabia and Thailand were quarterfinalists. The last time for China to survive the group stage of the U-17 Asian Cup was 2006.

"Overall, our three opponents have similar offensive and defensive styles, emphasizing build-up play from the back and penetrating attacks," Uemura said. "However, this plays to our strengths in high-pressing defense. By effectively pressing in the attacking third and quickly transitioning into offense, we have the opportunity to capitalize on our abilities."

Despite the injury setbacks, China remains determined to compete at a high level. With time running short, the team will look to make the most of its final preparations before the tournament begins. Enditem