As night falls, the 23rd round of the Chinese Super League (CSL) is in full swing, with Guangzhou moving to Haikou for a fierce battle with Cangzhou Lions. Chinese Super League officials recently announced that the venue has been moved from Guangzhou Huadu Stadium to Mission Hills Soccer Base Stadium in Haikou. This change will undoubtedly be more convenient for the Cangzhou Lions, who have been playing at home since the league resumed its home-and-away system, and have set up camp in Haikou, where they know the venue and the weather conditions very well.
At present, Cangzhou Lions with a record of 6 wins, 7 draws and 9 losses, accumulating 25 points, 10 points ahead of the relegation zone, the relegation situation is relatively stable. Since entering the second stage, Cangzhou team is like a tiger coming down from the mountain, the summer transfer introduced Ousu, Jose Kanter and Oscar three strikers teamed up to attack the city, Ousu and Jose Kanter combined to contribute 9 goals, Oscar individual solo 5 goals. Kante's fast breakthrough is very impactful and will be a tough test against Guangzhou's all Chinese squad.
Guangzhou is currently in 17th place after losing three consecutive league games following a 1-4 defeat to Beijing Guoan in the last round of the league. Every round of the league is crucial for Guangzhou. The club released an inspiring poster before the match - "Together we will overcome the difficulties" - to fight hard for every point even in difficult situations.
In addition, the intensive schedule of matches poses a great challenge to the veterans of the Guangzhou team. Fortunately, Hao, Ronghao and Zhang Chenglin, who rested half of the last round and adjusted their condition quite well, are expected to continue to start in this round. In this matchup, the core of the midfield Yan Dinghao was released from suspension, but the main center back Li Yang was suspended for accumulating yellow cards, and the injuries of Wu Shaochong and Wei Shihao are not yet clear, so the layout of the offense and defense is slightly tense.
Yang Liyu's header in the last round alleviated Guangzhou's lack of offense to a certain extent, but it also exposed the problem of lack of concentration and leakage in set piece defense. Facing Cangzhou Lions' clearly superior midfield configuration, defensive counterattack will be the best strategy for Guangzhou, especially at the critical moment of switching from defense to offense. Hao Junmin and other midfielders' scheduling and quick passing will be the key for Guangzhou to get the cold shoulder.
In the first meeting between the two teams this season, Guangzhou lost 0-2 to Cangzhou Lions and was at a psychological disadvantage. Now, the opponent is even stronger after strengthening the lineup in the summer window, and it will be even more difficult for Guangzhou to lose the home field advantage and end the nine-round undefeated trend.
