Henan's foreign aid lineup is like a tiger adding wings, compared to Taishan's former rivals, the strength of a substantial increase. Not only to meet the number of coaching staff needs, and each is in the Chinese Super League sand climbing and rolling for many years of "veterans". However, injuries and illnesses have followed the team, with Ivo retiring in the middle of the last round of matches and Karanga being sent off with a red card in the first leg of the quarterfinals. Whether or not you can adjust the status of foreign aid will directly affect the direction of the "Lu Yu".
Focusing on the Shanghai derby, can Shenhua revive their old glory? Shenhua regained their confidence in the AFC Cup, despite missing out on the relegation group by a single point. A showdown with fellow city rivals Shanghai Harbor was the key to their breakthrough. Shenhua won the previous two Shanghai derbies in the AFC Cup, and in the 2017 season's AFC Cup final, the two sides battled to a 3:3 draw, with Shenhua winning on away goals.
During the break, the Harbor team suffered a major loss, with international players and foreign aiders Muy and Lopez missing out on the F.A.C.A. Cup. The core of the team, Oscar, has recovered from injury, but the road to promotion is still bumpy. Facing lower level teams such as Xi'an Junwolf and Shaanxi Chang'an Athletic, Seaport won by 1 goal.
In the semi-finals, the Harbour met a stout defense in Shenhua. The defense led by Feng Xiaoting and Shuniqi had left Changchun Yatai and Shenzhen's foreign attackers helpless, which was the key for Shenhua to regain their dignity in the AFC Cup.
Facing the strong rivalry of Shenhua, Harbour Master Leko has long anticipated a tough match. Whether they can maintain their good form in two battlefields under the opponents' fierce attack is indeed an unknown.
2021 AFC Cup Semi-Final Fixtures
[First Round]
November 2, 15:30: Shandong Taishan vs Henan Songshan Longmen (Dalian Football Youth Training Base)
November 3, 15:30: Shanghai Shenhua vs Shanghai Harbor (Dalian Sports Center Stadium)
[Next round]
November 6, 15:30: Henan Songshan Longmen vs Shandong Taishan (Dalian Sports Center Stadium)
November 7, 15:30: Shanghai Seaport vs Shanghai Shenhua (Dalian Sports Center Stadium)
Note: If both teams have the same total number of goals scored in the 180 minutes of the double-header, the winner will be decided by exchanging penalty kicks.
