On the night of August 26th, at 30:00 GMT, the semi-finals of the AFC Cup will see a fierce battle to the death, with Shandong Luneng returning as the honored visitors of Dalian Ren. Looking back at the last round of the Chinese Super League (CSL), the match between Shandong Luneng and Dalian Ren ended in a 0:0 draw, and the result of this CSL match will undoubtedly add a lot of suspense to the semi-finals of the AFC Cup.
However, in terms of overall strength, Shandong Luneng is undoubtedly a step ahead of Dalian people, which can be seen from the ranking of this season's Chinese Super League table. From the historical record of the two teams' past meetings, Shandong Luneng also has the upper hand. According to the data, Luneng's last 8 matches against Dalian people, achieved a record of 5 wins, 1 draw and 2 losses, a clear advantage. Therefore, as long as Shandong Luneng can maintain stability in the game, play out the level, this life and death battle is expected to win.
However, given the importance of this match, Luneng coach Choi Kang-hee will go all in and field his strongest lineup at all costs. Next, let's speculate on Luneng's possible starting lineup.
In the goalkeeper position, naturally, is not Wang Dalei belongs to, he will be the main guardian of the Luneng goal; in the back line, Cui Kangxi coach will continue to adhere to the 4-guard formation, Ji Xiang, Jadason, Zheng Zheng, and veteran Gongxun will be composed of the defense line. Among them, Jia Desong and Zheng Zheng will partner the double center back; Ji Xiang and relaxation will guard the left and right sides respectively.
In the midfield, Li Yuanyi will be the main blocker, while Liao Lixiang is expected to partner with him to form a double back combination. In front of them, Brazilian star Moises will play the role of attacking commander, responsible for combing and scheduling the attack in front of the field; Brazilian foreigner Cressan and naturalized player Fernando will serve as his right-hand men.
As for the forward line, new foreigner Mateus Pato will take on the heavy responsibility of charging for Shandong Luneng; while Belgian star Fellaini will be on standby as a substitute.
In summary, the expected starting lineup for Shandong Luneng in this match will be Wang Dalei; Ji Xiang, Jadason, Zheng Zheng, Relax; Li Yuanyi, Liao Lixiang; Kressan, Moises and Fernando; and Mateusz Pato.
