At 19:30 GMT on August 31, the 12th round of the Chinese Super League (CSL) was rekindled with a bye match, in which Shanghai Shenhua will challenge Shandong Taishan at the Jinzhou Stadium in Dalian.
[History of exchange]
The two teams have met 47 times in history, with Shandong Taishan holding a slight advantage with 21 wins, 10 draws and 16 losses.
[Shanghai Shenhua]
After a low period of four rounds without a win, Shanghai Shenhua beat Guoan 2-0 in the last round with goals from Han Chao and Bassogao, and climbed up to 5th place in the table with 26 points. Despite a mediocre offensive performance this season, the team's defense has been quite solid, conceding only 13 goals in 14 matches. Facing Shandong Taishan, which is mainly a ball-control team, Shenhua is expected to create threats through quick counterattacks, and Yu Hanchao and Bassogao are expected to continue their good form in this round, as they performed well in the last round.
[Shandong Taishan]
Shandong Taishan continued their nine-game winning streak and extended their lead over Wuhan Sanzhen with a 2-1 win over Wuhan Changjiang in the last round thanks to Chen Pu's outstanding play. However, top scorer Cressan's goal-scoring streak came to an abrupt end. It is worth mentioning that Taishan's head coach Hao Wei returned to Shandong due to a family matter, and the game was temporarily directed by assistant coach Hisashi Kurosaki. With the win streak on the line, Taishan will need to adjust to the upcoming top-of-the-table clash with Wuhan Sanzhen. Taishan's star center Guo Tianyu will need to improve his game against Shenhua, who have been on a hot streak lately.
[Predicts debut]
Shanghai Shenhua: Zeng Cheng, Jiang Shenglong (U23), Jin Yangyang, Xu Yougang, Wen Jiabao (U23), Qian Jie gave, Wu Xi, Yu Hanchao, Wang Haijian (U23), Yang Xu, Bassogo
Shandong Taishan: Wang Dalei, Zheng Zheng, Liu Yang, Shi Ke, Moises, Sun Junhao, Jin Jingdao, Ji Xiang, Cressan, Chen Pu, Guo Tianyu (U23)
