At 18:00 Beijing time on October 4, the second round of Group J of the AFC Champions League group stage will stage a match that attracts the attention of Chinese fans, and the three towns of Wuhan visit South Korea to challenge the K-League powerhouse Pohang Ironman.
In the first round of the AFC Champions League, although Wuhan Three Towns did not get off to a good start, they were able to draw 2-2 with last season's AFC Champions League champion Urawa Red Diamonds, which was also worthy of the mission and brought a surprise to Chinese fans. In this round against the Pohang Ironmen, if the three towns of Wuhan can overcome the enemy, the prospects of the AFC Champions League will become bright. Currently, the three towns of Wuhan rank third in the group.
Rivals Pohang Ironmen are strong overall, with 15 wins, 12 draws and 4 defeats in the first 31 rounds of the season, accumulating 57 points, and are second in the K-League standings. In the first round of the AFC Champions League, they beat Hanoi 4-2 away and showed good fighting ability. Although there are no big stars in their team, the overall strength is balanced, which is a very difficult bone for the three towns of Wuhan.
There is no doubt that in the face of such a fierce enemy, the manager of the three towns of Wuhan, Gao Haimian, will definitely sacrifice the strongest elite main force to fight without reservation. In the goalkeeper position, it is natural that the main goalkeeper Liu Dianzao guards the goal of Wuhan Three Towns.
On the back line, according to past practice, it is expected that coach Gao Hatamian will continue to sacrifice his favorite 3 central defender formation, and the 3 starting defenders who are likely to gain trust will be He Yi, Ren Hang and former Evergrande defender Gao Junyi. South Korean Park Ji-so is likely to continue to suffer injuries.
In terms of midfield, it is no surprise that the main backer responsible for intercepting tackles in the central midfield of Wuhan Three Towns will be former Evergrande young talent Yan Dinghao; The pair that partners with Yan Dinghao should be Evergrande's other midfielder He Chao. Zhang Xiaobin's injury is unknown and he may have to come on the bench. On the back side, it is expected that Wei Shihao and Deng Hanwen will join forces, occupy two wings, and serve as midfield liberators in Wuhan Three Towns, switching freely between attack and defense, not only to ensure the team's defensive hardness, but also to participate in the instigation of the frontcourt attack.
On the forward line, there is no doubt that the top of the front court for Wuhan Three Towns should be the leading striker Aziz; The front trident combination with Aziz should be Davidson and international winger Xie Pengfei. Brazilian ace striker Malcom is likely to remain sidelined.
To sum up, the final expected starting 11 players in Wuhan Three Towns against Pohang Ironman are: Liu Dianzao; He Yi, Ren Hang, Gao Zhunyi; He Chao, Yan Dinghao, Wei Shihao, Deng Hanwen; Davidson, Aziz and Xie Pengfei