November 25 (Saturday):00, in the 2023 China Football Association Cup final, Shandong Taishan and Shanghai Shenhua will be in direct dialogue at the Suzhou Olympic Sports Center Stadium to compete for the title.November 19, Shandong Taishan Football Club released a message that Shandong Taishan, as the defending champions, had left for Suzhou that afternoon, embarking on the journey to the final of the F.A.C.A. Cup.
Footage from the departure site shows Shandong Taishan led by decorated captain Fellaini, with players such as Kressan, Jixiang, Li Yuanyi, Liao Lisheng and Song Long accompanying the team on their journey. Everyone is in good spirits. Kressan even took off his jacket and entered the bus in short sleeves. Facing the camera, Fellaini cocked his thumb and made a gesture of praise.
From the gesture of sending troops to Suzhou 6 days in advance, the purpose of Shandong Taishan's trip is very clear, that is, to successfully defend the title and create the glory of "four consecutive championships". Considering the fact that Shandong Taishan will host Kaya Philippines in the AFC Champions League, Cui Kangxi and his disciples will surely look forward to defeating Shanghai Shenhua at the lowest possible cost to win the trophy.
In terms of overall strength and recent performance, Shandong Taishan is superior to Shanghai Shenhua. But the defending champions still have to be ready for a tough battle, as this game is related to the last place in the AFC Champions League next season. Since Shanghai Shenhua missed the chance to enter the AFC Champions League after their 1-2 defeat at home by Zhejiang in the final game of the Chinese Super League, this AFC Cup final is the last straw they have to grab. Coach Wu Jingui and his disciples will surely go all out for the title.
It's worth mentioning that although Shandong Taishan has the reputation of being the "professional AFC Cup winners", Shanghai Shenhua has also achieved great success and rich experience in the AFC Cup. They have now been to the final of the AFC Cup six times and won the trophy three times, the last of which was in 2019. In that year, they beat no one else but Shandong Taishan, creating the green hot streak of "three boring sticks".
In addition, the location of Suzhou Olympic Sports Center for this game is very close to Shanghai. It is not difficult to imagine that a large number of Shanghai fans will travel to Suzhou to create a strong home atmosphere for Shenhua, which will also be an objective factor that Shandong Taishan must consider.
Tickets for this game have been on fire since the evening of Nov. 18, and in terms of ticket prices, there are four main tiers: 120 (for fans of both teams), 160, 260, and 360. as far as ticket sales dynamics go, this battle is basically a one-ticket wonder.
The weather forecast shows that the temperature in Suzhou on the day of the match will be 7°C - 16°C, which is not much different from the current temperature in Jinan and Shanghai. This will help both players to play and provide a great game for everyone.
It should be noted that this battle is also related to whether the fourth place of the Chinese Super League, Chengdu Rongcheng, can qualify for the AFC Champions League. If Shandong Taishan beat Shanghai Shenhua, Chengdu Rongcheng will get the last AFC Champions League qualification ticket as expected.
In the 2023 Premier League season, the two sides met twice with one win and one loss each. Now, the two teams meet in the FA Cup final. How will this summit clash go? Let's wait and see.
