On the evening of August 13, Beijing time :00, the first round of the AFC Champions League 1 | 8 final will be staged in a match that will be of great concern to Chinese fans. Shandong Luneng, the Chinese Super League AFC Champions League solo match, hosted the strength of the Japanese team Kawasaki Striker.
Last season, Shandong Luneng maintained the last dignity for the Chinese Super League team, becoming the only Chinese Super League team to enter the knockout rounds of the AFC Champions League, although regrettably missing out on the Chinese Super League trophy. It's worth noting that Shandong Luneng have never played Kawasaki Frontale before, despite being regulars in the AFC Champions League. Therefore, this is a complete encounter for Shandong Luneng.
In terms of overall strength, Shandong Luneng should clearly be at some disadvantage, especially from the point of view of the overall fighting strength, Shandong Luneng's stability is much worse than that of Kawasaki Striker. Therefore, for Shandong Luneng, this is a fierce game. Just less than 10 days into the match, Shandong Luneng received another frustrating piece of bad news. Namely, ace center forward Zeca, who was just signed from Pohang Ironman of the K-League in South Korea, will definitely not be playing the crucial AFC Champions League match due to an injury. This is a fatal blow to Shandong Luneng.
It is reported that Zeca, who has just joined the team, has returned to Brazil to recuperate from a sudden injury during the previous winter training. As a result, he definitely won't be able to make it to Shandong Luneng's AFC Champions League. I thought Zeca suffered a minor injury and would be back in the green soon. It's basically impossible now.
Zeca is highly expected by Shandong Luneng and is seen as a replacement for former Belgian ace Fellaini. He is not only physically impressive, but also has great shooting skills and superb dominance in front of goal. Data shows that he contributed 17 goals and 10 assists in 44 games for Pohang Ironmen when he played last season. The offensive efficiency in front of the field even exceeded that of Fellaini, who has announced his retirement.
Therefore, the announcement that such a powerful ace center forward will miss the AFC Champions League due to injury at this juncture is undoubtedly a heavy blow to Shandong Luneng. It's not an exaggeration to say that Zeca's absence should make it much more difficult for Shandong Luneng to win this match. It seems that Shandong Luneng will be a little bit suspended if they want to enter the eight finalists of the AFC Champions League.
