In the early morning of August 21st, Taishan started a new round of training warm-up at the base. According to the schedule of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), on the 24th, an exciting draw for the group stage of the AFC Champions League will be held. At that time, Taishan will stand in the second slot, and its opponent lineup for the group stage will also emerge.
With the honor of winning the F.A.C. Cup, Taishan was able to go straight to the group stage of the AFC Champions League. The twenty strongest teams in the East Asian region were divided into four camps, which in turn were assigned to five groups. According to the rules, the top teams of the five groups will advance directly, while the three second-placed teams will also advance, however, there will be two second-placed teams bidding farewell to the last eight.
In the results of the classification, Taishan is in the second class with Japan's Kofu Furin, Thailand's Bangkok United, South Korea's Pohang Ironmen and Japan's Kawasaki Frontale, so the possibility of Taishan's team being in the same group with these opponents is slim. In the first bracket, Wuhan Sanzhen of the Chinese Super League are listed, along with Ulsan Hyundai of South Korea, Jeonbuk Hyundai, Yokohama Mariners of Japan and Buriram United of Thailand. In addition to Wuhan Sanzhen, the remaining four teams are potential opponents of Taishan, and whether Choi Kang-hee can lead the team to challenge the old master Jeonbuk Hyundai will undoubtedly become a major focus.
The third tier consists mainly of Southeast Asian and Australian Premier League teams, including Vietnam's Hanoi FC, the Philippines' Kaya FC, Malaysia's Johor, Singapore's Lion City Mariners and Australia's Melbourne City. In the play-offs, Hong Kong, China's Jiezhi Warriors are involved, along with the four play-off winning teams. The four groups of play-off matches are as follows: Zhejiang will face Thailand's Thai Port, Seaport will challenge Thailand's Pathum United, Urawa Red Diamonds will take on Hong Kong's Levi's, and South Korea's Incheon United will go head-to-head with Vietnam's Haiphong.
Analyzing the overall strength, Zhejiang, Seaport, Urawa Red Diamonds and Incheon United have brighter hopes of advancing. If both teams from the Chinese Super League (CSL) can make it to the group stage, it will be beneficial to the CSL's future participation in the AFC Champions League. For Seaport and Zhejiang, the play-offs are a do-or-die battle, and the hosts must not be taken lightly and must give their best to their opponents.
