16:15, October 4, Dalian Sports Center stadium ushered in a key battle - 2022 Chinese Super League round 21 Shanghai seaport and Beijing Guoan pre-match press conference. The two head coaches, Leko and Stanley, made a full appearance.
Facing the upcoming matchup, Leko said confidently, "This game is crucial for both of us. Beijing Guoan is a strong team that has performed well recently. The winner will depend on the form of both sides and we have to give our best, play at our best, limit our opponents' strengths and exploit their weaknesses. We have five to six days to prepare and look forward to a game that is both serious and exciting."
Speaking about center Ndiaye, who is out due to injury, Leko revealed, "The medical team is doing everything they can to help him recover and there is a pre-match training session today. At the moment I'm not sure if he'll be able to play tomorrow. He is an essential player in our team and we will do everything we can to get him ready to play."
Speaking about the return of Wu Lei to the team, Leko said: "We strongly believe that Wu Lei is a key player, not only in this season, but also in the future. At the moment he is not yet at his best, we are trying to develop a training program for him and he is actively cooperating. In the last game, he scored with his own efforts. Next, we will continue to train and help him to reach his best form."
Talking about the opponent Beijing Guoan, Leko thinks: "Guoan has many international players in the team, the midfield is powerful, the center forward is the top striker in China, the backfield foreigner and the captain are not bad, the right back Wang Gang is also a member of the national team. Facing such an opponent is a good challenge for us, and the whole team will have to play their best tomorrow."
Cai Huikang said: "For me, this game is very crucial. The team's form has been getting better recently, and the opportunity to test our training results against such a strong opponent is very rare. We will resolutely carry out the coach's intention, continue the previous game form and not give the opponent a chance to score."
Cai Huikang also said, "Guoan's defense is not bad, and may be more characteristic in offense. The coach has put forward a lot of requirements for us to limit our opponents, we will carry out the coach's setup, continue the previous game's form, and reduce the opponents' threatening shots on goal."
Speaking at the launch, Stanley said, "It is always exciting to play against top opponents, Harbour is one of the top teams in China and we need to play against such strong teams to test our training level. We have done a lot of preparation for this game and are constantly polishing our tactics."
Talking about the team's preparation, Stanley said, "The most important thing is to prepare for the next game and deploy accordingly for the opponent. At the same time, we have to polish our own playing style, so that the players understand my technical and tactical play, to establish a good tactical play is probably more important than what opponent to face. In the last few days, we first study the Harbor as an opponent, and then consider the Shandong game after playing this one."
Talking about Wu Lei's defense, Stanley said, "As a team, we can't defend against him alone. Wu Lei is a good offensive player and we respect him, but it is impossible for the whole team to focus on him alone. We have good defenders and midfielders who know what to do on defense."
Finally, Stanley spoke about Adebenelo's form: "Adebenelo is gradually regaining strength and approaching starting form. He played 20 minutes in the last game against Dalian and this past week we had an instructional game where he played 60 minutes. We'll let him play longer and longer when it's appropriate and eventually be able to start."
Gao Tianyi said, "After a week of preparation, we made a comprehensive deployment of both offense and defense against our opponents, and we hope to play a wonderful game under the leadership of our coach and get a good result."
