At 19:35 Beijing time, the ninth round of CSL matches will kick off. The two most talked about teams of the season, Shanghai Shenhua and Chengdu Rongcheng, will face each other head on.
After the first eight rounds of the Chinese Super League, Shanghai Shenhua temporarily ranked second in the table with 18 points from five wins and three draws. Chengdu Rongcheng, on the other hand, ranked third with 14 points from 3 wins and 5 draws. The strong performance of the two teams has undoubtedly added more attractions to the Chinese Super League this season.
Facing a strong Chengdu Rongcheng team, Shanghai Shenhua coach Wu Jingui will do everything he can to ensure his team is in a favorable position in the title race.
In goal, young keeper Ma Zhen will continue to hold the door for Shanghai Shenhua. In the backline, Wu Jingui is expected to continue to use a four-guard formation, with Eddie Francis, Zhu Chenjie, Jiang Shenglong and Yan Xinli shouldering the key tasks. Zhu Chenjie and Jiang Shenglong will play in the double center backs, while Yan Xinli and Eddie Francis will play as the left and right wing backs respectively.
In the midfield, Ibrahim Amadou will be the main back, partnering Wang Haijian to intercept the opposing team's attacks. 30-year-old Portuguese midfielder Joao Teixeira is out due to injury, and Peng Xinli will be the centerpiece of the front line, responsible for combing the attack and planning the strategy. Han Chao and Xu Haoyang will work together in the attack, occupying the wings and feeding shells to the front line.
In the front line, Malelai will take the responsibility of the charge, Cao Yunding as a substitute standby.
To summarize, the expected starting lineup for Shanghai Shenhua against Chengdu Rongcheng is: Ma Zhen; Eddie Francis, Zhu Chenjie, Jiang Shenglong, Yan Xinli; Ibrahim Amadou, Wang Haijian; Yu Hanchao, Peng Xinli, Xu Haoyang; Malelai.
