The 22-year-old rising star has just sealed a permanent move to Chinese Super League side Beijing Guoan from Portugal’s Leixoes, and now looks set to play a major role for the hosts as they seek to gain an early advantage in a potentially difficult Group A which also includes Uzbekistan and Qatar.

Whilst adamant that their West Asian opponents should not be underestimated, Wei believes his teammates are fully focused on the job in hand.

As hosts, the Qataris started the competition brightly two years ago, before losing out to Korea Republic in the semi-finals and then suffering an agonising extra-time defeat against Iraq in the play-off for third place.

Some 24 months later, Afif and his teammates have arrived in China eager to write a new and successful chapter in the rich history of Qatari football, starting with their opening day Group A clash against Uzbekistan.

“It is true that the last AFC U23 Championship in Qatar was a disappointing one for us,” the 21-year-old midfielder told the-AFC.com.

“Nevertheless, this time around we have almost the same squad as the one we had in 2016, and we hope that we have learned from our experiences in the last competition.

“There is no doubt that we are now looking to achieve something here in China.”

Having travelled over 2,500 kilometres up north, the young War Elephants have had to cope with unfamiliar weather conditions but the Buriram United midfielder is confident of his team’s chances.

“The weather is just one aspect of football and it’s not the main problem for the team,” said Sarachat. “We arrived in China PR on January 3 and have slowly adapted and are confident of playing in the cold weather.”

Despite being just 19, his successes with club and country saw him being called up to the senior team, and he was  part of the squad for the FIFA World Cup Russia 2018 Asian Qualifiers.

That, however, meant Sarachat missed out on the AFC U23 Championship 2018 Qualifiers but he has made up for lost time through conversations with his seniors.

“I try to learn from my senior players, and before the tournament, I asked them for advice regarding the coach, tactics and what to expect,” said Sarachat.

Thailand lost 2-1 against Australia on Sunday - their final friendly ahead of the tournament. Sarachat scored the consolation goal in the 70th minute, and took the defeat as a stepping stone towards growth.

“In the match against Australia, we had a lot of chances to score and I feel responsible for not giving us a win,” said the Football Association of Thailand’s 2017 Best Young Player.

“Nonetheless, the team remain positive. The fact that we created opportunities to score against Australia means that the team are developing, and we will improve to change opportunities into goals.”

The White Wolves topped their group during the July qualifiers thanks to successive victories over Lebanon, Nepal and then – crucially – the United Arab Emirates.

Having successfully guided his country to a third appearance at the continental tournament, the former Uzbekistan senior team coach is now understandably eager for the momentum on show in Al Ain to continue in China PR. 

“It is only natural that we hope to continue the form we showed during the qualifiers,” Khaydarov told the-AFC.com.

“After the qualifiers in the United Arab Emirates my players have enjoyed six very good months or so with their respective teams and have gained even more experience.

“One or two aspects may have changed, but I am certainly looking to them to take the good form from our qualifiers into the Finals.”

Group A

Group C

Daniel Teglia - Saudi Arabia

The 2018 AFC U23 Championship will be the first test for Daniel Teglia who was appointed in October. The 58-year-old is tasked with going one step further than the Green Falcons’ 2013 runners-up finish.

The Saudi Arabia U23 assignment is Teglia’s first managerial experience outside his native Argentina, having managed five different club sides since starting his coaching career in 2001.

Wei Shihao (China PR)

After securing an increased amount of game time with Shanghai SIPG towards the end of the 2017 Chinese Super League season, Wei Shihao made a name for himself in Japan in December at the East Asian Championship when, in his first game for the senior national team, he scored against Korea Republic.

The pacey left sided attacker, who spent two seasons with Portuguese side Leixoes, was on target again in his side’s draw with DPR Korea as he highlighted his potential importance to the national team and showed impressive form ahead of China’s hosting of the AFC U23 Championship.