China Cup to give Cannavaro first test as national coach

BEIJING, March 20 (Xinhua) -- news.cn/en/tag/i0xngaj3163f76200c981b/index.html" target="_blank">newly-appointed head coach of news.cn/en/tag/i0xngaj3163f76200c981b/index.html" target="_blank">news.cn/en/tag/i0xkfcd844efd48692805f/index.html" target="_blank">CHINA's national football team Fabio Cannavaro will take charge of his news.cn/en/tag/i0xngaj3163f76200c981b/index.html" target="_blank">new side for the first time Thursday evening, when news.cn/en/tag/i0xngaj3163f76200c981b/index.html" target="_blank">news.cn/en/tag/i0xkfcd844efd48692805f/index.html" target="_blank">CHINA take on Thailand in the opening match of the news.cn/en/tag/i0xngaj3163f76200c981b/index.html" target="_blank">news.cn/en/tag/i0xkfcd844efd48692805f/index.html" target="_blank">CHINA Cup in Nanning.

The Italian, who was officially appointed news.cn/en/tag/i0xngaj3163f76200c981b/index.html" target="_blank">news.cn/en/tag/i0xkfcd844efd48692805f/index.html" target="_blank">CHINA coach last week, is combining his news.cn/en/tag/i0xngaj3163f76200c981b/index.html" target="_blank">new job with his existing role as head coach of Chinese Super League powerhouses Guangzhou Evergrande, and has called up no fewer than eight Evergrande players to his first news.cn/en/tag/i0xngaj3163f76200c981b/index.html" target="_blank">news.cn/en/tag/i0xkfcd844efd48692805f/index.html" target="_blank">CHINA squad, including the experienced defenders Zhang Linpeng and Feng Xiaoting.

One player not set to feature in Nanning, however, is star forward Wu Lei, as the news.cn/en/tag/i0xngaj3163f76200c981b/index.html" target="_blank">new Espanyol signing is rested, perhaps with a view towards trying other players in his position.

Also featuring in the four-team news.cn/en/tag/i0xngaj3163f76200c981b/index.html" target="_blank">news.cn/en/tag/i0xkfcd844efd48692805f/index.html" target="_blank">CHINA Cup are Uzbekistan and 2018 World Cup quarterfinalists Uruguay, whose tournament squad includes defenders Diego Godin and Jose Gimenez of Atletico Madrid, Juventus playmaker Rodrigo Bentancur, and Arsenal's ball-winning midfielder Lucas Torreira.

First held in 2017, the news.cn/en/tag/i0xngaj3163f76200c981b/index.html" target="_blank">news.cn/en/tag/i0xkfcd844efd48692805f/index.html" target="_blank">CHINA Cup is an annual football tournament featuring news.cn/en/tag/i0xngaj3163f76200c981b/index.html" target="_blank">news.cn/en/tag/i0xkfcd844efd48692805f/index.html" target="_blank">CHINA and three other international sides held in Nanning, capital city of south news.cn/en/tag/i0xngaj3163f76200c981b/index.html" target="_blank">news.cn/en/tag/i0xkfcd844efd48692805f/index.html" target="_blank">CHINA's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

Notable players to have featured in past tournaments include Gareth Bale, Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani.