With the draw at the end of September revealing the 2021 F.A.C. Cup Round of 32 groupings and matchups, the Chinese Football Association (CFA) revealed the kickoff schedule for the first round of the main round (1/16th finals) today. Beijing Guoan will face off against Sichuan Jiuniu at 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 14th.
In view of the need to prevent and control the epidemic, this year's AFC Cup has been divided into four zones and will be played in a tournament format. The top two teams from each region will advance to the final 8. The top 8 teams will then move on to the Dalian region for a two-legged quarter-final and semi-final match (October 23 to November 8) to determine which two teams will advance to the final. According to the plan, the final of the AFC Cup will be held in the designated hosting region after the end of the domestic league season at all levels.
Beijing Guoan will face the winner of the match between Guangzhou City and Chengdu Rongcheng in the next round if they beat Sichuan Jiuniu in the 1/16th final. Guoan regrouped in Shanghai on September 23rd to begin preparations for the AFC Cup, and after returning to Beijing on October 2nd, the team had a two-day break. on October 7th, Guoan played a warm-up match against Tianjin Jinmen Tigers, and although the team, which played mainly with young players, was defeated by the rivals 0-1, the team has not yet been adjusted to its best state, judging from the performance in the match.
On October 11th, Guoan will travel to Meizhou to officially kick off their FA Cup campaign. Bilic's team will be short of foreign support in the AFC Cup as Bakambu is with the Democratic Republic of Congo's national team for the World Qualifier and new signing Silva has yet to arrive.
