China have the chance to retain their spot at the top of Group C when they face the Philippines in their second Asian Cup match

Former friends will temporarily turn into foes when Marcello Lippi and Sven-Goran Eriksson face-off in an Asian Cup clash on Friday when the Philipines meet China in Group C.

China coach Lippi and Philippines manager Eriksson will both be vying to secure a spot in the knockout phases following the group stage, which is underway, with China having registered an opening day win against Kyrgyzstan – while the Philippines sit bottom off the group having lost their first match to South Korea.

TV Channel, Live Stream & How To Watch

In the United States (US), the game will not be televised or livestreamed.

In the United Kingdom (UK), the game will not be televised or livestreamed.

Squads & Team News

Philippines striker Javier Patino could prove to be a threat to China after an impressive display against South Korea, while Eriksen has no major injury concerns to worry about.

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Potential Philippines XI: Falkesgaard; de Murga, Sato, Palla, Aguinaldo; J. Younghusband, Ott, Schrok, Ramsey; P. Younghusband, Patino.

Yu Dabao is expected to slot straight into the starting XI following his match-winning goal against Kyrgyzstan in their opening game of the competition, while captain Zheng Zhi – who has experience playing in Europe with Charlton Athletic and Celtic earlier in his career – is expected to be a key player.

Potential China XI: Dalei; Linpeng, Xiaoting, Chengdong, Yang; Zhi, Junmin, Xuri; Lin, Lei, Dabao.

Betting & Match Odds

China are priced at odds of winning 4/7 according to bet 365, while a draw is available at 14/5. A win for Philippines is priced at 11/2.

Click here to see all of bet 365’s offers for the game, including goalscoring markets, correct score predictions and more.

Match Preview

China will head into the match with more momentum than the Philippines after their 2-1 opening day fixture, while their opponents fell to an unfortunate 1-0 defeat against a resilient South Korea.

Eriksson has said in the past that Lippi was a close companion after the two faced each other together in Italy and China, though for 90 minutes on Friday will see their friendship take a backseat.

The Swede spent four years in Chinese football from 2013 to 2017 and also played against one another in Italy – Eriksen at Sampdoria and Lazio and Lippi at Inter, Juventus and Napoli.

Eriksen’s reign as Azkals manager is a short stint – his reign starting in November 2018 – with his duties ending following the conclusion of his side’s participation in the tournament, though he has vowed to make it one to remember.

“I respect him and he is a good friend but tomorrow at 5.30pm, our friendship will have to take a backseat for a while. I wish him well but not for tomorrow,” said Eriksson.

“The players are very excited about the match, especially after our performance against Korea Republic. This is a chance for them to prove themselves again.

“This generation of players have so much promise and I am sure that in 10 years, football will enjoy more importance in the Philippines.”

China have an edge of their opponents as the last meeting between the two ended in an 8-1 win in June 2017. They capitalised on a Pavel Matyash own goal in their debut game against Kyrgyzstan that was doubled by a Yu Dabao strike late in the second half, with Akhlidin Israilov’s first-half goal not enough to pick up a draw.

They currently top the group with one win in one and remain in first place over 2018 Asian Games winners South Korea.