SHENZHEN, Jul 10 -- CHINA'S national soccer team is planning special tactics against Malaysia in view of the hot and damp climatic conditions of the Southeast Asian country in their opening match tonight at the AFC Asian Cup.

"We may use different tactics to face Southeast Asian teams," head coach Zhu Guanghu said at a news conference in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

"We had an unforgettable trip to Thailand this May. That makes me think of implementing different approaches to play under extreme conditions."

China lost to Thailand 1-0 in a friendly two months ago, in which the players seemed to be greatly affected by the hot weather and performed poorly.

In the first few matches of the Asian Cup, strong teams like Australia and the United Arab Emirates have been troubled by the harsh climate and lost their habitual way of playing.

Zhu is aware of the threats posed by the climate and the usual advantage of the host.

"The host is always the toughest rival. Malaysia has improved a lot in recent years. They are familiar with our English Premier League-based players," he said. "There have been changes in their techniques and they have recruited some tall players."

"But we are looking forward to the first match very much. We will do our best and get the result we want in spite of those difficulties."