The one-eighth final of the FA Cup will begin this week. At 20:00 Beijing time on July 25, CCTV CCTV5+ will live broadcast the match of Shanghai Shenhua hosting Zhejiang team. Although Shenhua has been well prepared, there were some unexpected situations in the match. Yu Hanchao and Amadou were left behind just for this F.A.C.A. Cup match, but in the last round of the Chinese Super League, Wu Jingui suffered heavy losses, Teixeira and Bassogo were injured more seriously, and Jiang Shenglong was injured as well.
Originally Shenhua planned to have 5 foreigners available for the FIFA Cup, but now only two foreigners, Amadou and Malelei, are available, Yann Xinli has missed a number of matches due to injury, and he is not irreplaceable. Wu Jingui will be faced with the dilemma of whether to opt for a hard-fought game with all the main players or worry about fitness and how to cope in the Shanghai derby. Whether the AFC Cup is more important, or the derby face and catch points is more critical, Wu Jingui needs to make a decision: in the AFC Cup against Zhejiang, or the Super League derby against Shanghai Harbor, can only choose one.
Wu Jingui has expressed many times before that Shanghai Shenhua's lineup is mainly based on veterans and newcomers. In fact, the veterans have had a moderate performance in the team. Cao Yunding and Yu Hanchao took turns as the starters, but the result was that Cao Yunding was injured and Yu Hanchao scored 5 goals and helped the team win at least 3 more points. Wu Jingui gave Yu Hanchao a break in the last game while he was available for the AFC Cup. Wu Xi has been in poor form since his comeback and Jin Yangyang has been inconsistent. So Shenhua is not really realizing the situation of veterans bringing in newcomers. In the previous Chinese Super League match against Zhejiang, Shenhua won 1-0.
Zhejiang has returned to their normal level from the bottom of the Central Super League to the 9th place with 25 points. In their last two matches, they won 2-1 against Jinmen Tigers and Shandong Taishan, showing a strength that should not be underestimated. In contrast, Shenhua won only one of their last three matches, equaling Zhejiang in terms of strength. Zhejiang will surely go all out for the F.A.C.A. Cup match, in the league they have no worries about relegation, it is unlikely that they want to hit the top four, and the second half of the season's AFC Champions League is also unknown, so only the F.A.C.A. Cup can bring results.
Zhejiang have two strikers in Mu Xiekui and Evra, making their counter-attacks extremely sharp. In this match, if Jiang Shenglong doesn't play, the backline will need to rely on Jin Yangyang, but his slow turnaround makes him easy to target. Shanghai Shenhua's form has been up and down since July, relying on Mallet and Yu Hanchao for offense, and relying on luck for defense, as the 1-0 brick wall no longer exists. The biggest variable facing Shenhua is Dai Weijun, who has made five substitute appearances, but none of them have been outstanding, and the reinforcement work is getting worse and worse.
After reaching the quarterfinals, the teams in the F.A.C. Cup will go all out, unlike the Premier League where draws are considered. Shenhua must have the belief that they will win, and the 1-0 strategy has already been proven to be no longer effective. The AFC Cup is the true test of Wu Jingui's coaching ability. The Zhejiang team is coming on strong, having just beaten Shandong Taishan in their last game, and this game they are aiming to knock Shenhua out of the competition and into the next round. Jordy's tactics are more aggressive, while Wu Jingui is more conservative. Shenhua will face great difficulties with only two foreigners.
