19 night 19 Beijing time on the evening of May 23: the new season, the ninth round of the Chinese Super League will be held a compelling focus of the battle, Beijing Guoan will be at home to face the strength of the average Cangzhou Lions.
Entering the new season, Beijing Guoan is in a bit of a slump. After the first eight rounds of the campaign, they had 2 wins, 5 draws and 1 loss, accumulating 11 points and ranking only seventh in the Chinese Super League standings. They have been thrown away by the first-ranked Shanghai seaport with a 9-point difference, gradually withdrawing from the ranks of the Super League champions.
The overall strength of Cangzhou Lions is average. After the first eight rounds of fighting, they only achieved a bad record of 1 win, 4 draws, 3 losses and 7 points. Currently they are only ranked 13th in the Super League table, which is the bottom 10 of the Super League. This season, they will most likely fight for relegation. For Cangzhou Lions, who are average in this round, it is naturally a perfect opportunity for Beijing Guoan to grab points. In order to firmly grasp this opportunity, it is expected that Coach Stanley will sacrifice as many elite starters as possible. Here is a brief prediction of the starting lineup that Beijing Guoan might field.
In the goalkeeping position, naturally, it will be star keeper Han Jiaqi guarding the Beijing Guoan goal. In the backline, in order to maintain stability at the back, it is expected that Coach Stanley will continue to sacrifice his most used four defenders, with four defenders, Wang Gang, Bo Yang, Ngadeu and decorated veteran Li Lei, getting the start. Of these, Park Yang and Cameroonian defender Ngadeu will continue to play as the double center backs; while the two ace flyhalves of Li Lei and Wang Gang will play as wingbacks, one on the left and one on the right.
In the midfield, there is no doubt that the main back responsible for intercepting Guoan's center-back sweep will be the local international-level iron back Ji's Zhongguo; 34-year-old Brazilian veteran De Souza should form a double back with Ji's partner. Zhang Xizhe and South Korean player Kang Xiangyu will form the core of Guoan's offense up front. They form a countermeasure with one left and one right, working together to feed the cake of Guoan's forward passes, delivering shells and providing firepower support.
Up front, former Evergrande veteran Yang Liyu should charge forward for Guoan; Nigerian striker Adebenelo should partner Yang Liyu to form the front line. Zhang Yuning continues to be injured, with Prince Ming serving him.
To summarize, the final projected starting lineup for Beijing Guoan against Cangzhou Lions is: Han Jiaqi; Wang Gang, Bo Yang, Ngadeu and Li Lei; Ji Zhongguo, De Souza, Zhang Xunzhe and Jiang Xiangyou; Yang Liyu and Adebenelo
