WUHAN, June 2 (Xinhua) -- China women's national team coach Ante Milicic said the team will use this week's international friendlies against Russia as an important opportunity to evaluate a new generation of players as preparations continue for the 2026 Asian Games and the 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup.
China will face Russia on June 3 and June 7 in the CFA Team China International Women's Football Competition in the central Chinese city of Wuhan.
The matches mark the Chinese team's first gathering since reaching the semifinals of the Women's Asian Cup in March and securing qualification for the 2027 Women's World Cup in Brazil.
"We're delighted to be here, preparing for a home game against Russia," Milicic told a pre-match press conference on Tuesday. "We look forward to the two games, and hopefully we can put on a strong performance here at home in front of our fans."
The current training camp in Wuhan is China's fourth of the year and forms part of the buildup to the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, which kick off in September.
The 26-player roster reflects Milicic's ambition to accelerate the team's youth movement, with players born after 2000 accounting for more than half of the squad.
"This was always the plan after the Asian Cup to bring some new faces to the squad," Milicic said. "That's very important. The quicker we can get these younger players into our training environment and to see what level they are, [the quicker] we can make an assessment if they can contribute to national team football."
"Regardless of the age, whoever deserves to get an opportunity with the national team will get minutes," Milicic said. "As you can see from the squad that we brought into this training camp, there was always an idea to see where some new players are at."
Player representative Zhang Chengxue said the team is ready for the challenge against Russia.
"I'm very much looking forward to tomorrow's match and feel fully prepared," Zhang said. "We're also prepared for difficulties. We will strictly implement the coaching staff's tactical requirements. I believe it will be a high-quality and exciting match for all spectators and fans."
Wuhan has long been a strong hub of women's football in China. Six players in the current national-team camp turn out for Wuhan Jiangda, one of the country's most successful clubs, including veterans Wang Shuang, Wu Haiyan and Yao Wei.
Milicic highlighted the inclusion of younger Wuhan players such as forward Deng Mengye and midfielder Jiang Chenjing.
"We've been monitoring Deng for a while now," he said. "She has showed surprisingly, for her size, a lot of speed. I think that's important for modern football."
On Jiang, Milicic said: "She's quite versatile. She's another young player that is probably still learning the game, but showing good intelligence."
Russia will provide a significant test for the hosts, according to Milicic, who said he had closely followed the team's recent performances.
"This is a strong team," Milicic added. "Firstly, they are very big and physical. They have a goalkeeper who commands the box. They have a lot of experience in the defense."
Milicic said the friendlies will help determine which players can handle the demands of major international tournaments. "We need to learn all the time," he said. "We want to start looking who can play in the Asian Games, who can play at a World Cup. That's the thinking behind these two games and that's why this is a strong opponent for us." ■
