On the 17th, the results of the 2022 AFC Champions League group draw were released. St. Co's double champion Shandong Taishan is in Group F with Japan's Emperor's Cup winner Urawa Red Diamonds, as well as the winners of play-offs Daegu FC and Buriram United. If the Changchun Yatai team participating in the play-offs qualifies, it will enter Group H led by Jeonbuk Hyundai and Yokohama Mariners, which can be called the group of death. Guangzhou, which is still awaiting stock reform, is in Group I with J-League champion Kawasaki Striker and may also face Ulsan Hyundai, who breaks through from the play-offs. The Shanghai Harbour team was placed in Group J, along with Chiang Rai United, Jie Zhi and Kobe Victory Ship, who may qualify from the play-offs, and were drawn.
This season's AFC Champions League group stage is still a tournament system, the match date has been set from April 15 to May 1, the 20 teams in the East Asian region are divided into 5 groups, the first place in the group and the 3 best group second place qualified. On March 15, Changchun will take the lead in the play-offs, and the opponent is most likely the winner of Sydney FC and The Philippines Kaya. However, the Changchun team is currently in some trouble, and the AFC is reviewing whether their team name and logo meet the relevant standards of the AFC, which has cast the first shadow on the Participation of the Chinese Super League in the AFC Champions League this year.
But for the 4 Chinese Super League teams, this is just a small trouble, and the more difficult question is whether to send the main squad to play. Affected by the epidemic and the top 12 competitions, the 2021 season of the Chinese Super League was held for the first time across the year, and the original early January was the time when winter training began, and January this year was the time when last season just ended. In addition, the national football team still has the last two rounds of the round of 12 to play in late March, and without considering the AFC Champions League, the new season of the Chinese Super League will not start until mid-to-late April at the earliest. In this way, the Chinese Super League schedule will most likely collide directly with the AFC Champions League group stage. In this case, the Chinese Super League clubs may have to abandon the AFC Champions League again, as last year, only send the youth team to go through the motions. In the case of a sharp reduction in investment by Chinese Super League clubs and the departure of big-name foreign aid, the overall strength of chinese Super League teams has dropped sharply, and if a youth team or reserve team is sent out, the results may be very ugly.
![Quintero: It is more satisfying to be able to achieve a draw, and deep enough needs to exert its offensive strength[fig]](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAP///wAAACwAAAAAAQABAAACAkQBADs=)