On the evening of July 17th, the 1/8th final of the FA Cup will kick off, and Shanghai Shenhua will go away to challenge Shenzhen New Pengcheng. Before the match, Shenhua head coach Slutsky attended a press conference with player Zhou Junchen, answering detailed questions about the team's preparations, opponent analysis and player status.
Slutsky first introduced the team's preparation: "In the league, we have had a meeting with Shenzhen, and we know that their strength should not be underestimated. Although the weather conditions at Shenzhen's home field are relatively tough, we have made sufficient psychological preparation and physical reserves, and will be in the best mental state to meet this challenge. We are well aware of the importance of every game, whether it is a league or cup match, we will do our best to get the best result."
When asked about Shenzhen's introduction of new recruits in the summer window may increase the difficulty of the game, Slutsky showed the coach's composure and self-confidence: "Shenzhen's introduction of new recruits will indeed improve their strength, but this will not change our tactical deployment and game strategy. We can't predict what kind of lineup the opponent will send out, but what we can do is to stick to our own style of play. No matter how our opponents change, we will remain calm and focused and look for ways to break the enemy."
In response to the fans' concern about the foreign aid situation, Slutsky also gave a clear answer: "Indeed, this time we only brought one foreign aid, Malelai, to the away game. Luis is unable to play due to injury, and Teixeira has just recovered from a long injury, so we need to give him more time to adjust his condition. But please rest assured that the rest of our players are fully prepared. In the first round of the league against Shenzhen, we only had two foreign aiders, but we still achieved good results in the end. I believe that with the strength and fighting spirit of our team, we will be able to overcome all difficulties."
Player Zhou Junchen also expressed his determination in the conference, "The recent schedule is very intensive and the weather is very hot, but it is both a challenge and an opportunity for us. Whether it's a cup match or a league match, our whole team will closely unite around the head coach and strictly follow the tactical deployment to execute every match. We hope to win more victories for the team and advance to the next round of matches through our efforts and hard work."
