The training camp that began on Sunday will run till April 3, with friendly matches against Chinese Super League clubs, Henan Songshan Longmen FC and Shandong Taishen FC scheduled.

China PR are second in the Group A standings with seven points to their name, eight behind Syria but with a match in hand.

The roads to FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and AFC Asian Cup China 2023 are open once again but, in the ever-changing world of international football, how clearly will we recognise the teams we haven't seen in competitive action for well over a year?

Join the-AFC.com as we take a look at each of the five returning sides, including their key changes and what to expect ahead of the Asian Qualifiers matches in the coming week.

As the kick-off date for the historic 2021 edition approaches, the-AFC.com looks back at the 2020 tournament which turned out to be a thrilling affair despite the challenging circumstances.

We kicked off the series in style with fans voting Persepolis FC's Mehdi Abdi Qara as the winner of the Best Headers of 2020, Ramin Rezaeian of Al Duhail topped the Best Free-kicks, Al Nassr's Abdulrahman Al Obaid won the Best Long-Range Goals, Abderrazak Hamdallah's strike against Qatar's Al Saad on Matchday One was voted as the winner of the Best Team Goals while Persepolis' Qara topped the Best Last Minute Goals.

Our next instalment looks at some game-defining saves and invites you, the fan, to tell us which was your favourite.

The AFC Cup All-time XI is taking shape, with players from East to West earning the approval of football followers from across the continent, but who will be tasked with adding trickery, creativity and energy from wide positions?

We’ve picked out 12 superb options; some of them known for being prolific scorers, some for their work as providers, and others who are remembered for specific moments in the tournament – and It’s up to you to choose your favourite.

With 122 goals, seven winners’ medals and three MVP awards among the nominees, there is ample quality to choose from, so study our list of contenders and don’t forget to register your vote.

Next week: Strikers

Fresh from an impressive run of results in Turkey in February, the Central Asian champions will play host to the two visiting teams at Almalyk’s AGMK Stadium,

Uzbekistan will meet India in April 5, with India to face Belarus three days later, before the hosts close out the international window against the European side on April 11.

The camp will serve as preparation for the resumption of the Asian Qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and AFC Asian Cup China 2023 with Lebanon set to face Jordan and Kuwait in international friendlies.

Taha, who replaced Romanian Liviu Ciobotariu, will be aiming to get his squad up to mark ahead of their Asian Qualifiers Group H campaign with the Cedars on eight points from five matches, one behind leaders Turkmenistan.

Korea Republic will host the remaining matches with Lebanon to play Sri Lanka on June 7, Turkmenistan four days later and Korea Republic on June 15.

Syria will take on Bahrain on Thursday with Iran to follow five days later as they ramp up their preparations for the resumption of the Asian Qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and AFC Asian Cup China 2023.