Mainland football fans are praying that the men’s national team lose by only one or two goals in their crucial World Cup qualifying match against Japan on Tuesday evening.

Despite fans expecting a loss, international football in China has seen a rare showing of optimism, as the side goes into the game off the back of two wins.

Manager Branko Ivankovic has promised fans that his team will give it their all at the Xiamen Egret Stadium and has not ruled out his side upsetting the giants of Asian football.

Football commentator Zhan Jun wrote on Weibo: “Most Chinese national football team fans will not have high expectations for the result tonight, and the players will not be under too much pressure. They need to try their best.”

Zhan’s post sparked debate among fans, with many outlining their predictions for the game.

“Japan is [likely] to have 90 per cent possession, and the score will be 0:1 or 0:2. Don’t have any illusions, our strength won’t allow it,” one Weibo user wrote.