19:30, October 5, the 21st round of the Chinese Super League focus of the battle between the Shanghai seaport and Beijing Guoan in the Lien Sports Center Stadium passionately staged.
[Shanghai Harbor]
In the first 18 rounds of the Chinese Super League, Seaport accumulated 34 points with 10 wins, 4 draws and 4 losses, ranking fourth in the league. After the adjustment of the home and away double-header, Seaport won 5 and drew 3 of their last 8 matches, winning three consecutive matches in a row, and won 4 and drew 1 of their 5 home matches at the Dalian Sports Center, without conceding a goal in any of their last three home matches. Seaport's unbeaten streak of eight consecutive rounds has seen them rise to their highest ranking of the season, just 13 points behind leaders Sanzhen and just two points adrift of city rivals Shenhua in the AFC Champions League. This is the finale of Seaport's three consecutive home games, and with a win and a loss for Shenhua, Seaport is expected to leapfrog into the AFC Champions League.
In the pre-match press conference, Coach Leko said: "This match is very important for us and our opponents. Beijing Guoan is a strong team and they have been playing well lately, so the outcome of the match will depend on which side is in better shape. We have to give our best to our opponents and try to limit their strengths and exploit their weaknesses. We have five to six days to prepare for this game and hope to play a serious and exciting game tomorrow."
[Beijing Guoan]
In the first 18 rounds of the Chinese Super League, Guoan ranked ninth in the league with 27 points from 7 wins, 6 draws and 5 losses. Guoan has 1 win and 2 draws in the last 3 rounds, 1 win, 1 draw and 2 losses in 4 away games this season, and 1 win and 1 draw in the last two away games. Guoan is 16 points ahead of the relegation zone and 9 points behind the AFC Champions League. Guoan has only lost 1 game in the last 6 rounds, and its form has picked up. However, due to previous debts and the fluctuating form of this season, it is extremely difficult for Guoan to qualify for AFC Champions League in the top three. If you can beat the harbor on the road, Guoan's ranking is expected to rise to the seventh. If they don't win, they will remain in the middle of the table.
In the pre-match press conference, Coach Stanley said, "It's always a pleasure to play against a top opponent every time, and I think Harbor is one of the top teams in China. We need to play against such a strong team to test our training level. We have done a lot of preparation for this game and we are also polishing our tactics. The most important thing is to prepare for the next game and make the appropriate deployment for the next opponent. Of course, it is also important to polish my own style of play, so that the players understand my technical and tactical style of play, and to establish my own tactical style of play may be more important than what kind of opponents we are facing. In the last few days, we first studied the Harbor as an opponent, and we will consider Shandong after playing this game."
[Historical encounter]
Seaport and Guoan have each won and lost in their CSL and F.A.C. Cup encounters, with Seaport winning 10, drawing 5 and losing 8 of the 23 meetings. In the 20 meetings between the two teams in the Chinese Super League, Seaport has won 9, drawn 5 and lost 6. Seaport is undefeated in their last 3 CSL meetings with Guoan, with 1 win and 2 draws.
[Projected debut]
Shanghai Harbour: 1-Yan Junling; 2-Li Ang, 13-Wei Zhen, 3-Jiang Guangtai; 11-Lv Wenjun, 6-Cai Huikang, 16-Xu Xin, 4-Wang Shenchao; 24-Vargas, 9-Paulinho, 7-Wu Lei
Beijing Guoan: 14-Zou Dehai; 17-Jiang Xiangyou, 22-Yu Dabao, 5-Memishevich, 27-Wang Gang; 6-Chi Zhongguo; 20-Wang Ziming, 10-Zhang Xizhe, 15-Gao Tianyi, 30-Daburo; 9-Zhang Yuning
