On the competitive stage in October, an exciting 21st round of the Chinese Super League (CSL) will begin on October 5 at 19:30 Beijing time. Meizhou Hakka will host Shandong Taishan in Wuhua Olympic Sports Center.
[Meizhou Hakka: ready to go]
Although Meizhou Hakka suffered a setback in the previous round of matches, the team's overall strength should not be underestimated. Currently, the team is in the sixth place of the table with 8 wins, 6 draws and 4 losses. Despite not winning in the last two games, the team is still solid in both offense and defense, scoring 28 goals and conceding only 16, with a full lineup of foreign aiders, including Rodrigo, Kosovic and Vukanovic, who are full of impact. Facing the powerful Shandong Taishan, Meizhou head coach Milan is full of confidence: "We know that our opponent was the league champion last year and is really stronger than us, so this game will be very tough. However, we have two weeks to recover and prepare for the game, and we will do our best to get a good result."
[Shandong Taishan: Surviving Against the Odds]
Shandong Taishan has experienced ups and downs recently, losing to Shanghai Shenhua and drawing with Wuhan Sanzhen, but once again saw the hope of defending their title with a 4-0 win over Shenzhen in the last round of matches. However, the team is currently riddled with injuries, with Jadason, Liao Lisheng and Sun Junhao unable to play, and the comeback of Jin Jingdao, Liu Binbin and Wang Tong still to be confirmed before the match. Facing the challenge of Meizhou Hakka, Taishan head coach Hao Wei said, "We will overcome the difficulties and try to win this game." Defender Song Long also said, "All the players are ready for the game, we will keep our focus and intensity for 90 minutes and look forward to a great game."
[Historical encounter]
The two teams have only met once in their history and that was in the 3rd round of the 2016 AFC Cup, when Meizhou Hakka lost 0-3 at home to Shandong Taishan.
[Starting lineup prediction]
Shandong Taishan:
Wang Dalei, Zheng Zheng, Liu Yang, Shi Ke, Song Long, Zhang Qi, Moises, Chen Pu, Fellaini, Ji Xiang, Cressan
Meizhou Hakka:
Hou Yu, Liao Junjian, Dugalić, Wang Wei, Ru Zinan, Jisen, Yin Congyao, Shi Liang, Yang Yilin (U23), Kosovic, Vukanovic
