At 18:00 Beijing time on December 16, the second round of the Chinese Super League championship group is about to usher in a focus battle, from Guangzhou to Hebei. This is the second game after the team's new coach Zheng Zhi took office, after the first loss to Beijing Guoan, there is a chance to get the first win in charge, the main defender Zhang Linpeng stationed in the division, Guangzhou team ushered in strong reinforcements, this time against Hebei team, CCTV did not arrange live broadcast.
As the eight champions of the Chinese Super League, the last time Guangzhou won the championship was in 2019, when he was coached by Cannavaro and lost to Jiangsu Suning in the final of the Chinese Super League last season. This season, the Chinese Super League has followed the competition system, and the Guangzhou team has undergone great changes in the championship lineup, first Paulinho and Talisca, the two major foreign assistants have terminated their contracts, then Gaulat has terminated his contract in advance, and then Axon, Fernando, Alan, Luo Guofu and Jiang Guangtai have refused to participate in the second stage of the Chinese Super League.
Of course, the termination and refusal of these naturalized players to participate in the competition are related to the salary arrears of the Guangzhou team, and they are unwilling to continue to wear the Guangzhou team jersey to participate in the Chinese Super League like the local players.
With no foreign teachers, no foreign aid, and no naturalized players, Guangzhou can only send an all-China squad to participate in the second stage of the Chinese Super League and fully impact the championship.
In the first round against Beijing Guoan, Guangzhou team is very close to the goal, but unfortunately they are not grasped, and finally Zhang Yuning's header is broken, Beijing Guoan completed the kill 1-0, and Zheng Zhi's debut ended in defeat after taking office. After the loss, Guangzhou scored 30 points, fell from second to fourth in the standings, and was thrown off by the leader Shandong Taishan by 6 points.
Against Hebei in this round, Guangzhou had a chance to win. Since 2016, the two teams have met 10 times in the Chinese Super League, with Guangzhou having the absolute upper hand with 8 wins, 1 draw and 1 loss, and a 3-0 win on October 6, 2018 to a 5-0 win on October 21, 2020, beating Hebei for five consecutive times.
In the last game, the Hebei team's backline was exploded, and it lost 0-5 to Shandong Taishan, and morale was low. Guangzhou's current all-Chinese squad is playing, the front line depends on Wei Shihao and Yang Liyu's local twin stars, and Gaulat, Axon, Luo Guofu, Alan, Fernando and other naturalized strikers are all absent.
In addition, in the midfield, Yan Dinghao, Liao Lisheng and He Chao are the only available midfielders at present, many young players cannot play the starting, the defender position, Zhang Linpeng will return to partner with Wu Shaocong in the center-back, Gao Zhunyi and Deng Hanwen are separated on both sides, Li Xuepeng is still in the state of recovery, and the goalkeeper is still served by Liu Dianzuo.
Therefore, the Guangzhou team did not have much suspense at the start, the only players that could be sent were these, and the others were young players who did not play in the Chinese Super League.