The 27th round of the Chinese Super League (CSL) will feature a much-anticipated clash between Shandong Luneng and defending champions Wuhan San...
Shandong Luneng suffered a setback in their last match, drawing 0:0 with the more average Dalian Ren, missing a great opportunity to close the points gap with Shanghai Hong Kong. After 26 rounds of matches, Shandong Luneng achieved a record of 13 wins, 9 draws and 4 losses, totaling 48 points. However, they are still 8 points behind Shanghai Harbor. With 4 rounds of matches left, there is only a theoretical possibility for Shandong Luneng to win the Chinese Super League title.
Nevertheless, Shandong Luneng will not give up easily. In the next four rounds of matches, Cui Kangxi and his team will go all out and try to end up with a clean sweep. As for whether or not they can win the title, it will be left to God's arrangement. Against this backdrop, it is only natural that Cui Kangxi will do his best in this round of matches against Wuhan Sanzhen on a rotational basis. Here is a brief prediction of the starting lineup that Shandong Luneng may field in this match.
In the goalkeeper position, considering some of Wang Dalei's injuries from the last round, out of his protection, it is expected that Cui Kangxi will rest him in rotation, and substitute keeper Han Rongze will naturally replace him in guarding the Luneng goal. In the backline, as per past practice, it is expected that Cui Kangxi will continue to sacrifice his usual 4-back formation, with Song Long, Shi Ke, Jia Desong and the veteran relaxing the 4 defenders. Shi Ke and Jia Desong as a double center back combination; while Song Long and Zhang Qi will be separated as wing backs. Zheng Zheng and Wang Tong will rotate and standby as substitutes.
In the midfield, there is no doubt that the main midfielder of Shandong Luneng's center back who is responsible for intercepting and stealing will be Li Yuanyi; the double midfield combination with Li Yuanyi should be Huang Zhengyu. It is expected that in front of the double back, Liao Lison will take the role of offensive commander, responsible for directing the attacking line of Luneng's front; the two front attackers working with him should be Kressan and Xie Wenneng, who will provide support and cooperate with Liao Lison.
Up front, there is no doubt that new Shandong Luneng striker Pato will be up front for his team. Fellaini will be on standby as a substitute. To summarize, the expected starting lineup for Luneng against Wuhan Sanzhen is: Han Rongze; Song Long, Shi Ke, Jadason and Relax; Li Yuanyi and Huang Zhengyu; Xie Wenneng, Liao Lixiang and Cressan; Mateusz Pato
