The showdown between Shanghai Seaports and Beijing Guoan in the 21st round of the 2022 Chinese Super League season will kick off at 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 5 at the Dalian Sports Center Stadium.
[Shanghai Harbor Team News]
After the first 18 rounds of the Super League, Harbour Team is in the fourth place of the table with 34 points from 10 wins, 4 draws and 4 losses. After recovering from a two-front war at home and on the road, Seaports have won three consecutive games with five wins and three draws in their last eight matches. In five home matches at the Dalian Sports Center, Seaport won four and drew one, winning the last three matches without conceding a goal. With a strong eight-game unbeaten streak, the Seaports have reached their highest ranking of the season, just two points behind city rivals Shenhua in the AFC Champions League, despite being 13 points behind leaders Sanzhen. This is the last of three consecutive home games for Harbour, and with a win and a loss for Shenhua, Harbour will be on course to enter the AFC Champions League.
Before the match, Head Coach Leko said, "This match is very crucial for us and our opponents. Beijing Guoan is a strong team and they have been playing well in recent matches. Therefore, the result of this match will depend on which side is in better shape. We need to give our best to our opponents and try to limit their strengths and exploit their weaknesses. We have five to six days to prepare for this game and hope to play a game that is both serious and exciting tomorrow."
[Beijing Guoan Team News]
In the first 18 rounds of the Chinese Super League, Guoan ranked 9th with 7 wins, 6 draws and 5 losses with 27 points.Guoan won 1 and drew 2 in the last 3 rounds of matches, and won 1, drew 1 and lost 2 of their 4 away matches in the season, and won 1 and drew 1 of their last 2 away matches. Guoan is 16 points ahead of the relegation zone and 9 points behind the AFC Champions League. Guoan team lost only 1 game in the last 6 rounds, the form has rebounded. However, due to a lot of debts and fluctuating form this season, it is extremely difficult for Guoan to reach the top 3 and qualify for the AFC Champions League. If they can beat Harbor on the road, Guoan is expected to move up to the seventh place in the ranking. If they don't win this game, they will remain in the middle of the table.
Before the match, Head Coach Stanley said, "Every time we play against a top opponent it is an exciting thing. I think Harbor is one of the top teams in China, and we have the opportunity to test our training level by playing against such a strong team. We've done a lot of preparation for this game and are also polishing our tactics. The most important thing is to prepare for the next game and deploy accordingly for the opponent. Of course, it is also important to build up our own style of play, so that the players can understand my technical and tactical style of play, and to build up our own tactical style of play may be more important than what kind of opponent we are facing. In the last few days, we first study the Harbor Team as an opponent, and then consider the Shandong Team after playing this game."
[Historical encounter]
Seaports and Guoan have met 23 times in the Chinese Super League (CSL) and the Football Association Cup (F.A.C. Cup), with Seaports winning 10, drawing 5 and losing 8. In the Chinese Super League, Harbour Team won 9, drew 5 and lost 6 in 20 meetings against Guoan. In the last 3 meetings between Harbour Team and Guoan in the Chinese Super League, Harbour Team remained undefeated, with 1 win and 2 draws.
[Projected starting lineup]
Shanghai Harbour: 1-Yan Junling; 2-Li Ang, 13-Wei Zhen, 3-Jiang Guangtai; 11-Lv Wenjun, 6-Cai Huikang, 16-Xu Xin, 4-Wang Shenchao; 24-Vargas, 9-Paulinho, 7-Wu Lei
Beijing Guoan: 14-Zou Dehai; 17-Kang Xiangyou, 22-Yu Dabao, 5-Memishevich, 27-Wang Gang; 6-Chi Zhongguo; 20-Wang Ziming, 10-Zhang Xizhe, 15-Gao Tianyi, 30-Daburo; 9-Zhang Yuning
