On August 15th, the night falls low, and at 19:30, a soccer feast is about to unfold in the match between Beijing Guoan and Shanghai Shenhua. Jiangyin Sports Center, a battlefield that has witnessed countless passionate collisions, will welcome the third and fifth place in Suzhou tonight. This is not just an ordinary game, but it may decide the future fate of the two teams - whether they will be among the title contenders or fall into the relegation abyss.
Shenhua are currently in fourth place with 22 points and a goal difference of six, while Hebei, who have 22 points, have a goal difference of just one. Beijing Guoan follow with 25 points and a goal difference. In the final round of the first stage, an unfortunate loss for Hebei would leave Shenhua in the top four without a win, while Guoan would need a draw to equalize with Hebei and break into the title race on goal difference.
However, Hebei's opponent in this round is a strong Wuhan team, which is unlikely to lose. For the Beijing and Shanghai teams, they must prepare for the worst when preparing for the match. In this context, Shenhua need at least a draw, while Guoan must go all out for a win.
"This is a crucial matchup and everyone on the team understands the importance of this game. We are ready for the most crucial battle at this stage." Shenhua's acting head coach Mao Yijun had this to say. As the leading team in terms of points and goal difference, Shenhua has the advantage at this point. Talking about how to look at the situation where only a draw is needed, Mao Yijun said that outsiders are analyzing how they should respond, but he has never thought about the problem from this perspective. "For me, every game is to fight with all my might to win and prepare for every game for the sake of victory. We all know this requirement of mine."
For his part, Nationals head coach Bilic said that the Nationals played well in the last game, full of energy and showed their strengths, and hopes to carry this good momentum into the next game. "We are facing a strong team, we have to believe in ourselves, and if we want to get something, we will follow the way we played in the last game." The Nationals can only secure a place in the title contention group with a win, to which Bilic said, "Actually, from the first to the last game, we have the same attitude towards every competition, and there's not much to change for tomorrow's game. Tomorrow's game is very important, but it should be treated like a normal game. There's no need to mobilize in front of a game like this. We have to find a balance between paying attention and not getting too nervous." Bilic also pointed out that Ji Zhongguo's return is a great reinforcement for the team, but with Gao Tianyi suspended for four yellows, the team has little room for adjustment in terms of U23 players, and needs to make good arrangements.
