At 19:35, the drums of the AFC Cup quarterfinals are beating in Beijing. The third round of this season's "Battle of Lujing", a match comparable to the final is about to begin in Beijing, when the "New Gongti" will once again become the focus.
Looking back a month ago, Taishan beat Beijing Guoan 3:0 at home, and were proud of themselves in the "Battle of Lujing". However, Taishan will not be afraid of this matchup, as the passionate home atmosphere of Work Sports and the hot form of Beijing Guoan will pose a challenge for them.
The "Battle of Lujing" has always been a classic matchup, especially in the AFC Cup. This time, will the match between the two teams become a memorable moment in history?
The "New Industrial Stadium" Rekindles Passion
Taishan and Beijing Guoan are undoubtedly the best teams in the history of the F.A.C. Cup, with Taishan boasting eight wins and Guoan following with four. The two teams are full of cup genes, which makes this quarterfinal especially meaningful.
The two sides will meet for the ninth time in the AFC Cup this season. In the last eight matches, Taishan have the upper hand with six wins, but the two sides have been equally matched in the last two meetings.
In the 2018 FA Cup final, Taishan's three-round thriller with Guoan ended in a 3-all draw, with Guoan eventually winning their fourth FA Cup title in team history thanks to an away goal advantage. A year later, Taishan got their revenge in the FA Cup Quarterfinals, beating Guoan 1:0.
The feud between the two sides will be even deeper when the league is factored in, which is one of the reasons why the match is so highly anticipated.
This season, Guoan's home atmosphere is extremely "scary", which is a big challenge for any visiting team. However, Taishan never show weakness in the field of work sports. In their history, they have left behind such classic scenes as Cebu Maozhen's thousand-mile solo ride, Leif's cap, and Han Peng's 40-meter explosion.
On August 19th, Guoan ushered in the 1000th game in the team's history in the "Beijing-Shanghai Battle" at home. Fans inspired the team with a huge Tifo, and the stands were filled with 52,500 people, setting a record for the highest attendance in the Chinese Super League.
It was reported that the market for the game was equally hot, with individual tickets selling out quickly. For this reason, Guoan has set up an additional stand open to fans for the game.
Guoan is in good shape
Taishan and Guoan have met twice in the league this season. In the first round, the two sides drew 0:0. Coming to the home field, Taishan beat their opponent with 3:0.
In the eyes of Guoan fans, this away loss is a "shame" battle. Taishan fans are fond of "Jiaqi sliding kneeling" "Dare repair lights" and other scenes, but has become a scar in the hearts of Guoan fans.
However, today's Beijing Guoan is not the same team as a month ago. With new coach Luis Suarez becoming more and more comfortable with the team, Guoan will surely bring great difficulties to Taishan when they play at home.
After the loss to Taishan, Guoan's spirit was greatly improved, and in the next five games, they achieved an undefeated record of 4 wins and 1 draw. on August 26th, Guoan went on the road and beat Cangzhou Lions 5:1 in 5 games, which further showed the fans their horrible dominance in front of goal.
The effect of the Suarez adjustment for the Guingamp midfield was immediate.
In recent matches, Guoan learned the lesson of losing control against Jinmen Tigers and Taishan, and activated Zhang Xizhe, a previously marginalized player. However, Zhang Xizhe has not lived up to his coach's expectations, contributing spectacular goals and assists in many games.
Comparatively speaking, Taishan's recent performance has been relatively uneventful, even being scored first by Shenzhen, who is at the top of the league table, in their last match. Facing the rise of their old rivals, Taishan will need to forget about their previous victories and prepare for the difficulties.
Mt Tai is holding back its strength for the battle
Taishan coach Choi Kang-hee, who has been coaching in Chinese football for many years and knows the importance of this match, chose to rest some of his starters on August 25 in the Chinese Super League. Fellaini, who has been in poor form lately, did not go out with the team. Obviously, this was to save energy for this match.
Despite the fact that the distance from Jinan to Beijing on the high-speed train is only about one and a half hours, Taishan team chose to arrive in Beijing the day before the pre-match training, that is, on the 29th. This is enough to reflect the importance the team attaches to this match.
Taishan's five foreigners, including the previously injured foreigner Pato, have all arrived in Beijing. There is no doubt that Fellaini will become a key role in the offensive end of Taishan. This season, the national safety line's air defense disadvantage is exposed, Fellaini's height advantage and header ability will be targeted.
In addition, Cressan, Moises and Jadson have been in match fitness lately and there are no surprises that they will join Fellaini to form a starting lineup of 4 wide men. Being able to fight with the team shows that Pato is recovering well from his injury. Whether he plays or not will be a change for Taishan.
In the previous three seasons, Taishan won the "three consecutive championships" of the AFC Cup, creating a record of consecutive championships that is difficult to be broken by the team. This season, Taishan inevitably did not want to lose early in the quarter-finals of the AFC Cup. Though facing a big challenge, the only option for the team is to try their best to win the game.
