On August 14th, Beijing Guoan faced Shanghai Shenhua in the eighth round of the Chinese Super League (CSL) in Suzhou. Before the match, Guoan coach Bilic released a strong signal, he compared this matchup to a final, however, still emphasized the need to face with a normal heart.
Talking about the match with Shenhua, Bilic said: "We performed well in the last game, the team's toughness and team spirit was displayed, the whole team's morale is high, eager to prove their own strength. I believe that as long as we maintain this state of mind, we will be able to achieve the same good results in the next game. The opponent is also a big team, so as long as we are confident and give our best like we did in the last game, victory is in sight."
Ji Zhongguo, who was present at the conference alongside Yilić, also said, "This game is crucial for us, we have to keep our normal mind and deal with our opponents with the best mentality. I look forward to witnessing a great matchup tomorrow."
Facing Shenhua, Guoan must win to take the initiative. On whether to stick to attacking soccer, Bilic responded, "From the first game of the first stage to the last round, our team's mentality has always been the same. For tomorrow's game, we're going to do the same thing as we always do and there's no need to change. We see this game as a key battle, but handle it like a regular game and just do what we need to do."
Talking about his form, Ji Zhongguo said he was well rested, "The suspension in the last game was my own reason, my emotions got out of control on the field. I hope everything goes well in tomorrow's game."
On how to motivate the team before the game, Bilic said, "This game is crucial for us, but at the same time it needs to be seen as a regular game. It's the equivalent of a final, so there's no need to mobilize too much, the players know what to do. As a manager, I need to find a balance so that the players are motivated, but at the same time they can keep a normal mindset and not get overly nervous because of the special nature of the game. Just like our last round match against Yatai, the players adjusted positively and finally achieved a good result."
On Ji Zhongguo's comeback, Bilic said, "The return of Ji Zhongguo is a good addition to the team for this game, he is one of our best players. Unfortunately, Gao Tianyi is suspended for this game and we need to find a solution in the use of U23 players."
