In the ever-changing soccer field, a surprising news spread quietly. According to Wang Xiaorui, a senior reporter for Sports Weekly, Beijing Guoan's midfielder Gao Tianyi suffered a serious ankle injury on the night of October 19th and is expected to miss the upcoming Chinese Super League. This change has left Guoan facing a shortage of midfielders, with as many as five midfielders unable to play, creating a perfect opportunity for Shanghai Harbor to win the title.
The trajectory of Gao Tianyi's injury can be traced back to the game he played for China against Uzbekistan. In that crucial match, Gao Tianyi came on as a substitute but performed poorly, and a reckless foul in the penalty area led to a penalty kick to equalize the score. Now, his absence will undoubtedly be a heavy blow to Guoan's team. At the same time, the midfield crisis of Guoan team is far more than that. Zhang Yuan has been out for a long time due to injury, Zhang Xizhe is out for the season, and De Souza has traveled to Brazil for treatment of a knee injury. In the warm-up match between Guoan and Guozhou on October 13, Nai Bijiang was also unable to play due to injury. The absence of these four players has put Guoan in an unprecedented manpower shortage in the midfield position. Currently, the Chinese Super League has reached its 27th round, and Beijing Guoan is still in the fifth place with 45 points, and still has the hope of qualifying for the next season's AFC Champions League. Shanghai Seaport, on the other hand, is leading the way with 8 points and is in first place. If they can beat Guoan in this round, they are expected to win the championship two rounds earlier. Judging from the current situation, the balance of victory seems to have been tilted in favor of Shanghai Seaport. The match will be held at Shanghai Seaport's home ground at 19:35 on the 20th.
