Chinese soccer has been in the spotlight lately with the change of hosting venue for the national football World Qualifier. The tournaments in various countries have been challenged by the epidemic that has gripped the country. The national soccer team will travel to the United Arab Emirates, while the three AFC Champions League teams are about to kick off their play-offs and group stage matches. The three teams are about to embark on their journey at this difficult time. Rumor has it that Guangzhou may send first team players to the tournament, but it seems that the possibility is slim.
The AFC has arranged for Guangzhou's Group J matches to be played in the tournament format at the Thunderball Stadium in Buriram, Thailand. The opponents in the same group include Hong Kong Premier League's Jiezhi, Thai Premier League's newcomers Thai Harbour, Japan's Cerezo Osaka and play-off winners Melbourne Success.
In the first round of the group stage, Guangzhou will face either Cerezo Osaka or Melbourne Success on the evening of June 24th. The final round is scheduled for July 9, a devilishly tight schedule with six matches completed in 16 days.
It was originally expected that the three Chinese Super League (CSL) teams might send their ladder teams to participate in the tournament due to the overlap between the group stage of the AFC Champions League and the first phase of the CSL schedule. However, the national football team's trip to West Asia kept most of the international players out of the team, and the original plan to restart the Chinese Super League on June 21 was disrupted. According to Dai Xiaowei, the Chinese Super League could restart on July 20 at the earliest. Rumor has it that Guangzhou may send first-team players to participate in the AFC Champions League during the two-month gap, but it is unlikely.
Even without scheduling conflicts, Guangzhou's difficulty in fielding a first-team squad for the AFC Champions League is still immense. Even after returning from the group stage in Thailand, the team still needs to be isolated and quarantined. The international players will also not be able to meet with their coaching staff and teammates immediately after returning from the World Cup, which will undoubtedly affect the team's performance in the Chinese Super League. The uncertainty of the epidemic increases the likelihood of a repeat of last year's team being stranded at the venue after the AFC Champions League.
The deadline for registration for the AFC Champions League group stage is June 8, and the club has reported the relevant plan to the group. Player selection will be decided by the Group's senior management and it is expected that young players will be sent to participate. The plan for the other two teams, including Seaport in the play-offs, is to remain a second team entry.
