On August 31st at 19:35, the quarter-final of the AFC Cup, the third game of the season, "Lujing Battle" will start in Beijing. Such a popular dialog, comparable to the final, will make the "new industrial stadium" reproduce the popular scene.
Just a month ago, Taishan defeated Beijing Guoan 3:0 at home, and was proud of the "Lujing Battle". However, the Taishan team has no capital to be fearless in this matchup. The hot home atmosphere of Work Sports and Beijing Guoan's recent hot form will be a challenge for Taishan.
And the "Battle of Lujing" has always been a classic match, especially in the AFC Cup. This time, will the two teams be etched in history?
The "New Workplace" continues to be a hotspot.
There is no doubt that Taishan and Beijing Guoan are among the most successful teams in the history of the FA Cup. Taishan won the FA Cup with eight and Beijing Guoan with four. Such two teams with cup blood also make this quarterfinal meaningful.
This season will be the ninth time the two sides have met in the AFC Cup. In the previous eight matches, Taishan dominated by eliminating their opponents six times. However, in the last two encounters, the two sides have been comparable.
For Taishan fans, the 2018 FA Cup final is an unforgettable memory. Taishan and Guoan drew in three rounds :3, and Guoan eventually won the fourth FA Cup trophy in the team's history by virtue of their away goal advantage. A year later, Taishan got their chance for revenge. In the FA Cup Quarter-Final, a single round decided the winner. :1 beat Guoan.
Had the league been counted, there would have been countless grudges entwined between the two sides, which became the reason for the match's high profile.
This season, Guoan's home atmosphere is very "scary", which is a huge challenge for every visiting team. However, Taishan has never been a wimp when it comes to work sports. Historically, they have given famous scenes such as Cebu Maozhen's thousand-mile ride, Leif's hat, and Han Peng's 40-meter explosion.
On August 19th, Guoan ushered in the 1000th game in the team's history in the "Battle of Beijing and Shanghai" at home. The fans inspired the team with a huge Tifo that covered almost the entire stand, and the attendance at the game reached 52,500, setting a record for the highest attendance in the Chinese Super League.
It is understood that the market for the game was equally hot, with individual tickets selling out quickly. For this reason, Guoan has added an additional stand open to fans to maximize their demand for the game.
Good security situation in the country
In this season's league, Taishan and Guoan have played twice. In the first round of the battle between the two sides, with 0 for the visitors to the Industrial Stadium, Taishan team:0 draw opponents. Come to the home field, Taishan team fast and furious, 3:0 easily win the game.
In the eyes of Guoan fans, this away loss is a "shame" battle. Taishan fans are fond of "Jiaqi sliding kneeling" "Dare repair lights" and other scenes, but has become a scar in the hearts of Guoan fans.
However, today's Beijing Guoan is no longer the same team as a month ago. With new coach Luis Suarez getting better and better with the team, Guoan will surely give Taishan a hard time when they play at home.
After the loss to Taishan, Guoan's spirit was greatly improved, and in the next five games, they achieved an undefeated record of 4 wins and 1 draw.On August 26th, Guoan went on the road and played 5 games. The :1 win over Cangzhou Lions showed fans even more of their terrifying frontcourt dominance.
The effect of the Suarez adjustment for the Guingamp midfield was immediate.
In recent matches, Guoan learned the lesson of losing control against Jinmen Tigers and Taishan and started Zhang Xizhe, a previously marginalized player. However, Zhang Xizhe has not lived up to his coach's expectations and has given wonderful goals and assists in many games.
Comparatively speaking, Taishan's recent performance has been relatively uneventful, even being scored first by Shenzhen, who is at the top of the league table, in their last match. Facing the rise of their old rivals, Taishan will need to forget about their previous victories and prepare for the difficulties.
Mt Tai is holding back its strength for the battle
Taishan coach Choi Kang-hee, who has been coaching in Chinese soccer for many years, certainly knows the importance of this match.On August 25, in the Chinese Super League, Choi chose to rest some of his starters. Fellaini was tired recently and did not go out with the team. Obviously, this was to save energy for this match.
Although the distance from Jinan to Beijing on the high-speed train is only about one and a half hours, Taishan team chose to arrive in Beijing the day before the pre-match training, that is, on the 29th. This is enough to reflect the importance the team attaches to this match.
Taishan's five foreigners, including the previously injured foreigner Pato, have all arrived in Beijing. There is no doubt that Fellaini will become a key role in the offensive end of Taishan. This season, the national safety line's air defense disadvantage is exposed, Fellaini's height advantage and header ability will be targeted.
In addition, Cressan, Moises and Jadson have been in match fitness lately and there are no surprises that they will join Fellaini to form a starting lineup of 4 wide men. Being able to fight with the team shows that Pato is recovering well from his injury. Whether he fights or not will be a change for the Taishan team.
In the previous three seasons, Taishan won the "three consecutive championships" of the AFC Cup, creating a record of consecutive championships that is difficult to be broken by the team. This season, Taishan inevitably did not want to lose early in the quarter-finals of the AFC Cup. Though facing a big challenge, the only option for the team is to try their best to win the game.
