The Consadole Sapporo midfielder is ready to take up a huge challenge against the two-time finalists supervised by Italian legend Marcello Lippi, manager of the Italy’s 2006 World Cup winning team.

“This is a knockout stage. If we lose, it means we have to go home. But that’s not what we want. We still hope to continue in the tournament,” said Chanathip who produced a goal for Thailand during the group A stage against Bahrain.

“We wont underestimate China. We have to stick to the game plan and stay really focussed. Chinese players are very strong and have aggressive game. They have improved dramatically. We need to rely on a good teamwork like we’ve done so far,” the 25-year-old player said.

The game will be broadcast live on Channel 7 and Fox Sports HD at 9pm.

Although Sunday’s last-16 game could go to penalties, Lippi, 70, said there was little point practising spot-kicks, and that he hadn’t yet decided who would take them.

The old-school approach is at odds with the intricate preparations of the likes of Gareth Southgate, who masterminded England’s penalties win over Colombia at last year’s World Cup.

But the veteran Italian campaigner is no stranger to shoot-outs after his Italy side beat France on penalties in the 2006 World Cup final.

“We haven’t done any particular training on penalty kicks,” Lippi shrugged.

“From my experience, you don’t have to practise penalties because it depends on the moment, it depends on the player, his character, his mood, if he’s strong enough to handle the pressure,” he added.

“You can train every day but in the end training doesn’t really help.”

China last endured an Asian Cup penalty shootout in 2004, when they edged Iran to reach the final — with current captain Zheng Zhi one of the scorers.

“The mood in the team is very good,” said Zheng, 38. “We’re very confident, we want to do our best to reach the quarter-finals so we are highly motivated.”

China’s also hopes received a lift when Lippi described Wu, who missed Wednesday’s 2-0 defeat to South Korea, as “ready to go” for Sunday’s game.

Reports from China had suggested a serious shoulder injury for the highly influential forward, who scored a sparkling double in the Group C win over the Philippines.

Wu also scored twice in China’s 2-0 friendly win against Thailand last year in Bangkok, but bitter memories endure of their 5-1 thrashing by the Thais in 2013.

Lippi warned that Thailand would pose a serious threat in Al Ain, noting their revamp since sacking coach Milovan Rajevac following their 4-1 group defeat to India.

“They replaced their head coach after their first game and they changed their tactics and basic formation. But what is very important is that they changed their attitude,” Lippi said.

“They’re very aggressive, very determined, so we have to be careful, we have to be smart. We have to be ready because it’s not going to be an easy match.”

Lippi added that China would pay special attention to the “Thai Messi”, playmaker Chanathip Songkrasin, who he called “very quick, nimble, very aggressive.

“He presses everyone with his team-mates and he has remarkable technical skills. He’s an important player,” Lippi said.

“Hopefully we can play like we did against the Philippines, because it’s important not to give them too much space,” the Italian added.

The Japanese’s three-day total of 13-under-par 200 gave him a slender one-shot advantage over Thailand’s Jazz Janewattananond and England’s Matthew Fitzpatrick who posted rounds of 65 and 66 respectively at the season-opening event of the Asian Tour and Japan Golf Tour Organisation (JGTO).

Thailand’s Chapchai Nirat (66) shared fourth place with Korea’s Doyeob Mun (67) and tournament headliner Paul Casey of England (68)  on matching 203 total.

Fujimoto showed no signs of fatigue despite having to return early to the Serapong Course at Sentosa Golf Club to complete his remaining 11 holes from his second round. After snatching the second round lead with a 67, the Japanese held onto his pole position by marking his card with four birdies, one eagle and a bogey.

Jazz continued to underline his growing credentials with a scintillating 65 which could possibly see him return to The Open in July as the SMBC Singapore Open is part of The Open Qualifying Series for the third consecutive year.

The 23-year-old finished tied-fourth at the SMBC Singapore Open to qualify for The Open last year and rekindled his affinity for the Serapong course with a flawless round that was highlighted by six birdies.

Thailand’s Chapchai Nirat delighted the local crowd who began to take notice of the four-time Asian Tour winner when he went on a birdie blitz with five birdies in six holes after the turn to surge himself towards the top of the leaderboard at the US$1 million event.

Leading Scores after round 3 of the SMBC Singapore Open being played at the par 71, 7403 Yards Sentosa GC course (am – denotes amateur):

200 – Yoshinori Fujimoto (JPN) 67-67-66.

201 – Jazz Janewattananond (THA) 68-68-65, Matthew Fitzpatrick (ENG) 68-67-66.

203 – Chapchai Nirat (THA) 67-70-66, Doyeob Mun (KOR) 71-65-67, Paul Casey (ENG) 68-67-68.

204 – Poom Saksansin (THA) 65-70-69.

206 – Gunn Charoenkul (THA) 68-71-67.

207 – Prom Meesawat (THA) 69-69-69, Hosung Choi (KOR) 69-69-69, Sihwan Kim (USA) 70-67-70, Shaun Norris (RSA) 69-68-70, Davis Love III (USA) 69-68-70, Shotaro Wada (JPN) 66-70-71, Prayad Marksaeng (THA) 70-71-66.

On day six at Melbourne Park, the 23-time Grand Slam winner crushed Ukrainian teenager Dayana Yastremska 6-2, 6-1 before consoling her at the net as she burst into tears.

The 37-year-old, seeded 16, has dropped just nine games in her three matches so far and with face either sister Venus or world number one Simona Halep for a berth in the quarter-finals.

“I just play each match at a time, play as hard as I can and do the best I can. That really is all you can do,” she said about her form so far.

She also had some words of encouragement for 18-year-old Yastremska.

“She was amazing, she came out swinging. To be so young she came out ready to go.”

Next up could be misfiring Halep, who is returning from a herniated disc and has limped through her first two matches at Melbourne Park, taken to three sets in both.

Or it may be her sister, who is still going strong 21 years after playing for the first time in Melbourne.

Fourth-seeded Osaka looked down and out against Taiwanese veteran Hsieh Su-wei before battling back to win 7-5, 4-6, 6-1 and set up a last 16 meeting with Latvia’s Anastasija Sevastova, who beat China’s Wang Qiang in straight sets.

Osaka’s win equals the 21-year-old’s best performance at the Australian Open, where she reached the last 16 in 2018 but lost to Halep.

But she looked headed for the exit when she conceded the first set and was down 4-1 in the second, before winning five straight games to force a decider.

“I just didn’t want to give up,” said the Japanese, who made 42 unforced errors and received a code violation after throwing her racquet.

“I really love Grand Slams so I did anything I could do to stay here a bit longer.”

Pliskova struggled with a painful shoulder complaint that required treatment at every changeover, and medical timeouts, before somehow beating China’s Zhang Shuai 4-6, 6-4, 7-5 as the temperature rose in the centre court sunshine.

– ‘Die or win’ –

“It was very hot conditions, I was struggling a little bit. We left everything on court today,” said. Svitolina, who scored her biggest career win by clinching the WTA Finals in Singapore last October.

“We practise every day for these kind of matches,” she added, watched by boyfriend Gael Monfils. “I just told myself ‘you’re going to die or win’.”

She will meet either Belgian 12th seed Elise Mertens or 17th seeded American Madison Keys in the next round.

Fourteen-time Grand Slam winner and top seed Novak Djokovic is gunning for a seventh Melbourne Park title and faces 25th-seeded Canadian Denis Shapovalov later, one of the NextGen stars who are out to topple the sport’s big guns.

Whoever wins will face 15th seed Daniil Medvedev, who eased past 21st seed David Goffin, with the Russian dark horse yet to drop a set at the tournament.

Eighth seed Kei Nishikori made it back-to-back victories for Japan by beating Portugal’s 44th-ranked Joao Sousa 7-6 (8/6), 6-1, 6-2.

The 29-year-old has won all three of his first week matches on Margaret Court Arena to reach the last 16 for the seventh time in nine appearances.

“I love to play this court, I’m very comfortable here,” said the 2014 US Open finalist after delighting a large contingent of Japanese fans.

“It’s great to play here, especially after Naomi today.”

He next plays either 23rd seed Pablo Carreno Busta of Spain or Italy’s Fabio Fognini, seeded 12.

Williams defeated world number 57 Yastremska 6-2, 6-1 and next faces either sister Venus, who is unseeded this year, or world number one Simona Halep.

The 37-year-old won her 23rd major Down Under two years ago while two months pregnant and is the bookies’ favourite to claim an eighth Australian title, despite being seeded 16th.

Another major would match Margaret Court’s tally and Williams looks in ominous form as she chases down the Australian great’s record, dropping only nine matches in her opening three matches.

“I’m here, I’m playing as hard as I can and doing the best I can, which is really all I can do,” she said.

Her latest victim Yastremska was not even born when the American won her first major at Flushing Meadows in 1999.

The 18-year-old was in tears after her drubbing and Williams comforted her at the net, telling her “you’re gonna make it, don’t cry”.

“I thought she did really amazing,” Williams said of the youngster.

“She came out swinging, I felt like she really came out ready to go.”

A massacre appeared imminent as Williams raced to a 4-0 lead but Yastremska managed to hold serve twice in the first set, prompting wild applause from the crowd.

She tried to engage Williams in rallies but was powerless to stop the American taking the first set 6-2 after 27 minutes.

Williams was equally relentless in the second set, breaking Yastremska and allowing the teen to score only four points off her serve as she went up 4-1.

Yastremska had treatment on her right foot but it was only delaying the inevitable and Williams took just a few minutes to bring up match point after play resumed.

She hit her first chance into the net but completed the win after Yastremska sent a return wide.

Sirisak Yodyadthai

Thailand coach Sirisak Yodyadthai has told his players not to rest on their laurels after reaching the Asian Cup round of 16 and urged them to believe they can beat two-time finalists China (1984, 2004) on Sunday and make the quarter-finals.

The War Elephants were on the brink of elimination after losing 4-1 to India in their group-stage opener but roared back to beat Bahrain and hold hosts United Arab Emirates to a draw after Sirisak was appointed as caretaker replacement for the sacked Milovan Rajevac.

They arrived the Middle East with the modest target of simply making the knockouts but now that goal has been achieved, Sirisak is imploring his charges to maintain their momentum and aim for the business end of the tournament.

“I’ve reminded the players that we can compete with China – we have a chance [to beat them] too.  We cannot just be pleased with the round of 16. They must stay focused,” said the 49-year-old former assistant coach, who has overseen a surge in confidence despite having little experience at international level.

“At this point of the tournament, no team is stronger or weaker – we are all almost equal. Anything can happen as it’s a knockout format from now on,” added Sirisak, who must find a game plan to narrow the head-to-head record with the Dragons, who have 17 wins over Thailand in 26 meetings.

“The Chinese players are physically strong but I have yet to see more variety in their game. They can be dangerous, though, with long balls and set pieces.”

Sirisak is relishing the opportunity to test his managerial skills against Marcello Lippi, the China coach who led Italy to the 2006 World Cup in Berlin.

He does have limited experience of taking on a top-level coach, however, having been up against UAE coach Alberto Zaccheroni, who coached Milan to the Serie A title in 1999.

“I’m honoured to coach the Thai team against a team with a world-class coach like Lippi. This is a great opportunity to learn from him. But there will be no surrender,” said Sirisak who gave Zaccheroni a Thai wai in a show of respect after the UAE draw.

Striker Adisak Kraisorn, meanwhile, says he isn’t interested in looking back, even though he netted twice against the Dragons in a friendly 5-1 friendly international win in Hefei six years ago.

“That was so long ago. I’m more focused with the upcoming game now,” said the 27-year-old, who has 16 goals from 35 caps since 2013. “Everybody in the team wants to play in the match and show they can compete with China.”

Nor does Adisak have any nerves, even though none of the Thailand players has any experiencing of playing in the knockout stage of a major tournament.

“Of course there will be no more draw from now on. The winner will keep moving on,” said Adisak.

“We realise that [whatever happens] from now on is a bonus and [the experience is] so valuable to us players.

“This is the biggest event in Asia. We don’t know if we will be able to come back in the next four years or to come this far again, so we will fight together.”

Last-16 fixtures (Thailand time)

Sunday

Jordan-Vietnam (6pm)

Thailand China (9pm)

Iran-Oman (midnight)

Monday

Japan-Saudi Arabia (6pm)

Australia-Uzbekistan (9pm)

UAE-Kyrgyzstan (midnight)

Tuesday

South Korea-Bahrain (8pm)

Qatar-Iraq (11pm)

The eighth-ranked Thai was trailing in both games but benefited from a barrage of unforced errors from the Taiwanese to wrap up the encounter in just 31 minutes.

She will play either Go Jin Wei of Malaysia or fifth-seeded He Bingjiao of China on Saturday.

Also moving into the semi-finals were the mixed doubles team of Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Sapsiree Taerattanachai, who beat Praveen Jordan and Melati Daeva Oktavianti of Indonesia 18-21 21-14 21-18.

The American upset 11th seed Aryna Sabalenka 6-3, 6-2 in 65 minutes to set-up a fourth-round meeting with either eighth seeded Czech Petra Kvitova or Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic, and she has her sights set high.

“It was probably one of the best matches of my life. I played really well today. She’s a really tough opponent, so I was just really preparing myself for a really tough match,” she said.

“I was putting it all out there. I was staying relaxed.”

At 17 years and five months, Florida-based Anisimova, whose parents are Russian, is the youngest player left in the tournament.

She is making her debut appearance at Melbourne Park and her only other two Grand Slam appearances at the French and US Opens have ended in first-round exits.

“This is an unreal feeling, I can’t believe that this is happening right now,” she added.

“I was just so excited. I was going to be playing on a big court. I was just trying to have fun out there, and I was really enjoying myself.”

Ranked 87 in the world, she reached the quarter-finals in Auckland this month and said she modelled herself on Sharapova, who was the last teenager to win a Grand Slam.

“I would want to be the (next) person to win a Slam as a teenager,” she said.

“I have always looked up to her (Sharapova) and I was watching her when I was little. She’s a great person to look up to.

“I always enjoyed watching her play and all of her interviews. She’s a great person off the court.”

Regarded by Casey as his ‘nemesis’, Poom got the better of the world number 24 again in their opening round and matched the Englishman’s two-day total of seven-under-par 135 at the US$1 million event which has been disrupted by several weather suspensions over the last two days.

Close to two hours of play was lost in the morning due to inclement weather. It was abandoned at 7.05pm local time due to fading light and will now resume at 7.30am where 76 players will return to their positions on Saturday. The third round is not scheduled to start before 12pm.

The Thai had to return early to the Sentosa Golf Club to complete his remaining seven holes from his first round, before heading back to the starting tee after a short 45-minute break.

He birdied four of his last five holes when first round resumed to sign for a 65. After trading two birdies against one bogey for a 70, he is now looking forward to indulge in the local delicacies before taking a much-deserved rest and coming out to fire at all cylinders again.

“It has been a long day but I am very happy. Although I only shot a one-under for my second round, I think it was a very nice round. The wind was picking up and my iron-play wasn’t that good. To come back with an under-par score, I am really happy with it,” said Poom.

“I feel really tired now. I have to go back soon, get a shower and then go to sleep! Casey played really nicely today. He hit it so far on the eighth hole. I really like that shot. I have to follow my own style because he hit it long and I hit it short! But it was good to see him play. I need to get more practice after this and speak to my coach about my iron-play today. It’s not good now. I keep hooking the shots. I just need a minor fix, I think. Hopefully I can fix that so it will be easier for me tomorrow,” the inform Thai said.

At 54, American legend Davis Love III showed his level of fitness is still high after completing 25 holes to trail Poom and Casey by two shots with his 137 total at the season-opening event of the Asian Tour and Japan Golf Tour Organisation (JGTO).

The World Golf Hall of Famer’s efforts were also met by India’s Chikkarangappa S., Korea’s Yikeun Chang and South Africa’s Shaun Norris.