As the curtain falls on April 23rd, the first round of the new Chinese Super League (CSL) season is about to kick off, and the showdown between Shanghai Shenhua and Beijing Guoan is undoubtedly the purest match between the two Chinese Super League giants in Beijing and Shanghai. The match will be broadcast live on Five Star Sports at 19:50 tomorrow (April 23rd).
However, this matchup is also a familiar yet unfamiliar battle between Beijing and Shanghai. Last year, due to a special tournament system, Guoan and Shenhua, who belong to different divisions, were unable to face each other.
Looking back to the 2019 season, Shenhua lost 1-2 in both league games against Guoan, with Wu Yizhen and Ighalo, who scored for Shenhua, having moved on to other teams. Time has passed and Shenhua's forward line has been replaced with Kim Shin-wook, Bassogo and Yang Xu.
Despite the fact that Kim Shin-wook has just regained his health, Bassogo is a new addition to the team, and Yang Xu's form is unstable, he still seems to be slightly inferior to last season's golden boot, Bakambu. In yesterday's pre-match press conference, Choi Kang-hee said, "Guoan is a team with outstanding attacking organization and midfield strength, we have made targeted deployments for specific segments, but for the overall tactical arrangement, we have not yet determined the final plan, of course, we will certainly go all out to fight for the victory."
Behind Cui Kangxi's praise for his opponents, he should also realize that Shenhua has strengthened their midfield this season. The addition of Adrian and Wu Xi has made the team more threatening in the midfield. What's even more favorable for Shenhua is that the core of Guoan's midfield, Augusto, is still stuck in Brazil and has not returned to the team.
The last time Shenhua beat Guoan was back in the 2017 AFC Cup. Four years later, if Shenhua can start the new season with three points over Guoan, it will undoubtedly set an excellent start for the whole season!
