As night fell on Sept. 29, a much-anticipated bye was played at Puwan Stadium at 19:30, the 18th round of the 2022 Chinese Super League between Dalian Ren and Shanghai Shenhua.
[Dalian]
Looking back at the first 18 rounds of the Chinese Super League, Dalian Ren has 4 wins, 7 draws and 6 losses in 17 matches, and is in the 12th place with 19 points. Recently, the team's performance at home has been remarkable, with 2 wins and 1 draw in the last 3 rounds, and 3 wins and 2 draws in 5 home games this season. It is worth mentioning that in the match against Guoan, Bosanjic unfortunately got injured and will miss the next match. Zhu Ting is injured but not seriously hurt, and Lin Liangming has returned to first-team training. Among the coaching staff, Xie Hui, Chang Lin and Wu Weichao used to play for Shenhua, while Fei Yu and Shang Yin were also part of Shenhua.
In the pre-match press conference, Xie Hui said: "Facing Shanghai Shenhua, we are in a very good ranking and condition. The team led by Mr. Wu has performed well technically and tactically, showing very high figures in terms of ball-less, ball-playing and conversion. This is a very interesting game, I don't think it's a tough game, the two teams have very different styles, which is a good thing for the soccer itself. I'm looking forward to the outcome of this game and hopefully we will come out on top."
[Shanghai Shenhua]
Shenhua ranked 3rd in the first 18 rounds of the Chinese Super League (CSL) with 9 wins, 6 draws and 2 losses in 17 matches, accumulating 33 points. 3 wins and 2 draws in the last 5 rounds of matches, including a 1-1 draw at home with Jinmen Tigers and a 2-0 away match at Guoan. In two away games this season, Shenhua won 1 and drew 1. It is worth mentioning that there are nine Dalian players in the Shenhua squad, with general manager Zhou Jun, assistant coach Tang Tian, and players Aidi, Wen Jiabao, Xue Qinghao, and Yang Zexiang having played for Dalian at different times. Shenhua's home ground is located in Jinzhou Stadium this season, so this match is also regarded as an alternative "Dalian Derby". In the match against the visiting team, captain Cao Yunding suffered a thigh muscle strain, which will take at least 3-5 weeks to recover.
In the pre-match press conference, Wu Jingui said, "We have been actively preparing for the match in the past few days, and we have also watched our opponents' matches. We noticed that our opponents have been in good form recently and have made great changes and progress this year, so we must pay great attention to them. In tomorrow's match, we will do our best to play at our own level."
[Historical encounter]
In the 15 meetings between Dalianjin (including Albin and Fang Fang) and Shenhua in the Chinese Super League (CSL) and the AFC Cup, Dalianjin won 3, drew 5 and lost 7. In 14 meetings between the two teams in the Chinese Super League, Dalian people 3 wins, 5 draws and 6 losses. In the last 5 meetings, Dalian people 2 draws and 3 losses, and last season was double killed by Shenhua.
[Projected debut]
Dalian: 30-Wu Nano; 11-Sun Guowen, 22-Dong Yanfeng, 44-Laurez, 38-Lv Zhuo Yi (U23); 10-Tsonev, 31-Lv Peng, 28-Fei Yu; 17-Mamba, 39-Yan Xiangguan, 23-Shang Yin
Shanghai Shenhua: 19-Zeng Cheng; 23-Pa Jiajun, 22-Jin Yangyang, 4-Jiang Shenglong (U23), 8-Zhang Lu; 7-Qian Jie Zi; 20-Yu Hanchao, 33-Wang Haijian (U23), 12-Wu Xi, 17-Basogo; 9-Yang Xu
