MARCELLO LIPPI said China need to shed their “underdog” mentality as he faces a tough first game in charge today — a World Cup qualifier against Qatar, which neither team dare lose.

    While Lippi, who coached Italy to win the 2006 World Cup, admits rock-bottom China need a “miracle” if they are to reach Russia 2018, he said top priority was restoring their swagger.

    “It is important to restore the team’s confidence,” said Lippi, according to the FIFA website, ahead of today’s clash in Kunming.

    “We will focus on first dealing with the Qataris and then South Korea. Our chief aim is World Cup qualification. I hope we can achieve a miracle.

    “But even if we fail to make it, we should make sure that the team make good progress in the process and build for the future. Then we will switch our focus to the next Asian Cup.”

    Lippi last month took charge of China, who need a lift after defeats to South Korea, Syria and Uzbekistan left them bottom in Group A with one point from four games.

    The world’s most populous nation dreams of becoming a soccer superpower, but China has only reached one World Cup, in 2002, which the side exited pointless and goalless.

    There are parallels to be drawn with ambitious Qatar, which will host the Middle East’s first World Cup in 2022 but which is also floundering and lies second from bottom.

    In both groups A and B, only the top two of six teams are assured of a trip to the 2018 World Cup in Russia, with the third-placed sides going into a playoff series.

    But Lippi said China’s players shouldn’t feel inferior to their opponents as they have performed well in matches, notably their recovery from 3-0 down to 3-2 against South Korea.

    “Our players were not in peak form but they proved that they are by no means the underdogs,” he said.

    “The past matches were not one-way traffic in the favor of the rivals. We produced chances of our own and the opponents were far from being dominant.”

    (SD-Agencies)