by sportswriter Wei Hua

BEIJING, March 24 (Xinhua) -- China was left disappointed by the 1-0 away defeat against Saudi Arabia in last Thursday's World Cup qualifier, but Branko Ivankovic's men don't have much time to dwell on the past as an in-form Australia awaits them on Tuesday. China should turn bitterness into focus heading into the "Big Lotus", the stadium that hosts the two sides in the highly-anticipated fixture.

China's supporters may still be smarting from the narrow defeat in the last match. With extremely low possession and playing with 10 men for almost an hour, China showed tenacity to keep Saudi Arabia at bay for a long time, until a defensive flaw allowed Salem Al Dawsari to grab the winner, and give the home side a much-needed victory.

The defeat also proved costly as China has to deal with suspensions and injuries ahead of the Australia clash. Hitman Lin Liangming was sent off for a high boot on Thursday, while holding midfielder Wang Shangyuan will also be banned for accumulation of yellow cards. In the meantime, defender Jiang Guangtai, who limped off, has been ruled out of the game as he has returned to Shanghai for further treatment.

The weakened squad has forced Ivankovic to tweak his squad, while newly naturalized player Sai Erjiniao is expected to make his debut, with his technique, composure, and ability to dictate the tempo freeing up Wei Shihao to move to the flanks.

Li Yuanyi, who came off the bench on Thursday, is likely to be promoted to the starting line-up after Wang's suspension, while Han Pengfei, who replaced Jiang in the last game, will be the natural replacement to fill the void left by the Shanghai Port defender.

Notably, young talents Wang Yudong and Liu Chengyu, who shone in the AFC U20 Asia Cup and were called up to the final 23-man squad against Saudi Arabia, may have the chance to surprise the home fans this time.

Ivankovic should also keep a close eye on potential yellow cards, as players such as Wei Shihao, Li Lei and Zhang Yuning are one yellow card away from suspension and risk missing the next game against Indonesia in June.

In the first match against Australia, China fumbled a 1-0 lead and fell to a 3-1 defeat, with Craig Goodwin scoring one and setting up another for Australia. Despite a long list of injured players in March, Australia still showed its formidable form by crushing Indonesia 5-1 on home soil, cementing its second place in Group C.

The top two teams in each six-team group will directly qualify for the World Cup, while the third and fourth-placed teams move into another round of qualifying. The Socceroos are looking to follow in the footsteps of already-qualified Japan, and will surely spare no efforts to take three points on Tuesday.

The situation in Group C is relatively clear after seven matches. Japan, Australia and Saudi Arabia are expected to fill the top three places, meaning fourth place ought to be China's aim.

With China, Indonesia and Bahrain locked together on six points, even a defeat to Australia would not be fatal for China's prospects. As long as it beats its direct rivals in June, Ivankovic and his players still have a chance to progress.

A draw or even a win over Australia would help China gain the initiative. With Indonesia and Bahrain set to take each other on Tuesday, a draw would also be in China's favor.

Despite having suffered two consecutive defeats, China has not lost its fighting spirit, a mentality that has been gradually sharpened since the start of the campaign. The Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center Stadium, known as the "Big Lotus", will be packed with more than 70,000 fans, and if the players pull in the same direction and are fully motivated, Australia is by no means an insurmountable obstacle. Enditem

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