On April 29th, nightfall, Jiangyin Sports Center was brightly lit. Wuhan and Shanghai Shenhua are about to start the second round of the 2021 Chinese Super League. On the eve of the tense match, Wuhan's head coach Li Xiaopeng said confidently, "All of our players have been training very hard in the past few days, and we will do our best to win against Shenhua!"
No worries about Evra's debut outing
Previously, Wuhan had played Shenhua four times, resulting in three draws and one loss, and had yet to win a match. Under the leadership of Korean head coach Choi Kang-hee, Shenhua team is playing more and more stable. Facing a reporter's question about Shenhua's man-to-man tactics, Li Xiaopeng said: "I don't think they are simple man-to-man tactics, in fact, three years ago, Hoffenheim also used this tactic. Although it is not difficult to deal with, but we need to seek a breakthrough at some point."
In the first match, Evra, who didn't return to the team until just before the match, was given the opportunity to come on as a substitute and helped Wuhan equalize with a header, helping the team get their first points of the new season. In addition, Mbia also came on as a substitute. In response to the physical condition of the two foreign aiders, Li Xiaopeng said: "They have no problem starting, but it is uncertain how long they can play." As for the new injury number Huang Zichang, Li Xiaopeng revealed: "He has a little back injury, but it is not serious."
Before the match, Wuhan released a pre-match poster titled "The Sound of Wind and Rain in the Night", which symbolizes the determination to win. In the poster's caption, they wrote: "With our heads held high towards the sun, we are never afraid of the wind and rain. In the shade of the Yangtze River, we strive to be the wind and rain of our opponents. Listen! This is the voice from Wuhan!"
Choi Kang-hee expects back-to-back wins to come
In the first round of matches, Shanghai Shenhua opened the season with a 2-1 win over Beijing Guoan in a tough match. Among the winners were Moreno, who scored with a cross and Wu Xi, who returned to Shenhua for the new season. In terms of paper strength, Shenhua has Zeng Cheng, Wu Xi and other international players, as well as Moreno and other powerful foreign aid, the strength of the team is obviously stronger than Wuhan. Cui Kangxi and his Shenhua team will naturally be eager to make it two wins in a row against Wuhan.
In the pre-match press conference, Choi Kang-hee said, "A win in the first round gives the team a good atmosphere and self-confidence, but I hope the team will not be proud. The players are well prepared for the game so far, and Wuhan is also a strong team, so I hope we can continue our winning momentum in the second round."
Regarding the team's possible complacency, Choi Kang-hee said, "Pride and self-confidence are two different concepts, players need to be confident, and only with self-confidence can they play without making mistakes and defy any opponent. Even though Wuhan and Guoan have different characteristics, we need to be positive when facing Wuhan."
Peng Xinli, as the representative of the players, said, "In the past two days, the whole team has been focusing on physical recovery and organized targeted training for the characteristics of the opponents. Wuhan's strength is not bad, this game will be very difficult, we will meet this challenge with 100% fighting attitude!"
