Fitness concerns force Marcello Lippi to juggle his China squad for Japan game after tough Chinese Super League season

Marcello Lippi is facing a challenge to select his best starting line-up for Tuesday evening’s East Asian Championship clash with Japan as the differing fitness levels of his players threaten to undermine his hopes of picking his strongest team.

China travelled to Tokyo for the tournament with a 23-man squad that features six players aged 22 or under after the Italian excluded many of his more experienced stars after a demanding season in the Chinese Super League.

But perhaps the biggest challenge for the World Cup-winning coach is managing the fitness of a side that features some who have not played since the final round of matches in the Chinese Super League at the start of November.

While others featured in the national team’s meetings with Colombia and Serbia in mid-November and those from Shanghai SIPG and Shanghai Shenhua played in the final of the Chinese FA Cup, the disparity in conditioning is forcing Lippi to juggle his squad.

The meeting with Japan comes just three days after the 2-2 draw with South Korea on Saturday and China will take to the field again on Saturday in the final round of the competition when they take on North Korea.

“Playing football is difficult and it’s something we have to take seriously,” said Lippi. “We have to think about each player’s condition and how that changes during the tournament.