China Premier League (CPL)
In the 18th round of the Chinese Super League, Shandong Taishan hosted the table leader Wuhan Sanzhen. Although Shandong Taishan is in second place in the table, four points behind Wuhan Sanzhen due to one more game, this matchup is undoubtedly seen as a key battle in the race for the Chinese Super League title this season.
Surprisingly, however, none of the three major foreign stars on Wuhan Sanzhen's attacking line, Malcolm, Edmilson and Stanchou, were on the roster in the starting lineup announced before the game.
Malcolm leads the Super League's top scorer list with 16 goals, while Stanchou contributes seven and Edmilson has five; in addition, Stanchou has dished out eight assists, making him the Super League's current top assist man.
Responding to the players' absence, Wuhan Three Town boss Pedro said, "Malcolm, Edmilson and Stancho are not feeling well, have minor problems and are not at their best. But I have full confidence in the players who will play and I hope they will give their best as usual, the importance and challenge of this game is well known to everyone."
Shandong Taishan's head coach Hao Wei also expressed his opinion: "Injuries are inevitable in soccer and we still need to focus on our performance. Wuhan Sanzhen is a very efficient scoring team, and we'll be able to respond accordingly. I believe in my players, they are all very mature and can overcome difficulties."
