In the highly anticipated 23rd round of the Super League, Shanghai Harbor Team will challenge Shanghai Shenhua, a strong rival in the same city, away. Before the game, Muscat, head coach of Harbour Team, attended the press conference with Bao Shimeng, the player representative, and elaborated on the related topics of this derby.
Muscat first expressed his expectation for this game: "I believe such a game is highly anticipated, and it is also a game that everyone has been waiting for for a long time. We are very excited to participate in it and hope to give a wonderful game to all fans. Through our performance, we hope to show a very good image of Chinese football." He stressed that the team has made full preparations, the overall state is very calm and focused, and it is confident to play its best level in the game.
When asked about the difference between the preparations for the first round, Muscat said: "Now let me recall some preparations for the first round. It is true that some details are not clear. But what can be said is that our preparations for this week are focused and there is no other interference. The team's recovery is very good. We showed many positive aspects in the last game and made an in-depth analysis of these performances. Now, we are very focused on our own preparations, and the overall preparations are very good."
Regarding the question of whether the failure to win the previous two derbies will have an impact on the team, Muscat firmly replied: "There is no impact. We will not let the results of past games affect the present state and mentality. We will only focus on our own preparations and competition process, and strive for the best results."
In addition, Muscat also talked about the situation that Guoan defeated Shenhua, which led to the difference between the top two. He believes: "This won't have much impact on us. We always pay attention to our own performance and progress, not the results of other teams. If we can concentrate our limited energy completely on what we think is really important, then we can keep our best shape and meet the challenges of every game."
Player representative Bao Shimeng also expressed his expectation and determination for the game at the press conference: "Tomorrow's game is a regular game for us in a long season, but we will go all out. Under the leadership of the head coach, we are very well prepared. We will stick to the offensive football style. No matter what our opponents think, we only focus on ourselves. I hope we can play a wonderful game and bring joy to the fans."
