August 14th.
China Super League (soccer league)
League match in Suzhou, round 8 bye day, Beijing
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与
Shanghai Shenhua (soccer team)
The bout kicked off with a pre-game press conference.
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Bilic, the head coach of the team, admitted that the match against Shenhua is as important as the final, but it is important to keep a normal mind.
Talking about the showdown with Shenhua, Bilic said, "In the last game, we played well, showing the team's resilience and team strength, the whole team's morale is high, eager to prove their strength. I believe that as long as we maintain this state, we will be able to get good results in the next game. We are also facing a strong team, as long as we are confident enough to fight as hard as we did in the last game, victory is just around the corner."
Ji Zhongguo, who was also present at the conference, said, "This game is crucial for us and we must keep our normal mindset and meet the challenge with our best mindset. I look forward to witnessing a great match tomorrow."
Responding to the situation that Guoan must win in order to take the lead, Bilic emphasized, "From the first to the last game of this stage, our team's mentality has always been the same. For tomorrow's game, we will adopt the same strategy as before without any adjustments. We see this game as a key battle, but handle it as we normally would and just do our part."
Talking about his recovery status, Ji Zhongguo said, "These two days rested well, and the last suspension was also due to personal reasons that led to emotional outbursts on the field. I hope everything goes well tomorrow."
On how to cheer the team, Bilic said, "This game means a lot to us, but it also needs to be seen as a normal game. It's like a final, there's no need to mobilize too much, the players have a clear goal in mind. As a manager, I need to find a balance between keeping the players motivated and keeping them calm, so they don't get overly nervous due to the special nature of the game. As in the last round against Yatai, the players adjusted positively and finally achieved a good result."
Regarding Ji Zhongguo's comeback, Bilic believes, "Ji Zhongguo's return is a big addition to the team, he is one of our best players. Unfortunately, Gao Tianyi is suspended for this game, and we need to find another plan for the use of U23 players."
