In order to retain the hope of qualifying, the AFC Champions League "overtime" must also go all out!
The league and the FA Cup have ended, and most of the teams in the Chinese Super League have entered the holidays, but for the players and coaches of Shandong Taishan, Zhejiang and Wuhan Three Towns, they still need to "continue to work overtime". Before the end of 2023, they will face two more AFC Champions League group stage tests.
In the last round of the AFC Champions League, the three teams of the Chinese Super League won 1 win and 2 losses, and the qualifying situation has changed again. According to the current points situation, Shandong Taishan, who took the lead tonight, is in the best situation, and they even have the possibility of competing for the first place in the group; the Zhejiang team and the three towns of Wuhan that have played successively tomorrow are in critical condition, and they need to win all the remaining 2 rounds of events to have a chance to qualify, if this round is drawn, they will basically miss the knockout round: the current AFC Champions League promotion rules are the first place in 10 groups plus 6 group second with better results (the second in each of the three groups in East and West Asia), even if they can get the second place in the group, they will be at a disadvantage when comparing with the second in other groups。
This round of hard work to win, in order to "still have suspense" in the group finale, but also to "retain hope": Taishan fans continue to sing after the FA Cup final, appeasement, encourage the players The picture is moving, Shandong Taishan, who missed the double championship, needs to repay these loveliest fans who have never left with a victory at the last home of this year, and it is also the continuation of the "tinder" of the Chinese Super League on the AFC Champions League stage; For the Zhejiang team and Wuhan Three Towns, which are not optimistic about qualifying, they also need to go all out to convey a spirit and an attitude to the outside world, and strive for a possible better future for the club in difficulty.
On the night of the FA Cup final, the Taishan team returned to Jinan, which was also to make good use of the next three days to fully prepare for the AFC Champions League. Choi Kang-hee admitted before this game that the dense schedule made the players very tired, so the team will also rotate a certain scale in this game, but he also stressed that "the last home game, you need to have a good mental outlook and show a very good game attitude." ”
At present, Taishan team and Yokohama Mariner have 9 points, Incheon United has 6 points, and Kaya FC has 0 points. Taishan team against Kaya FC in this round, if it wins, the points will reach 12 points, the situation of other groups is that after the first four rounds of Group J, the second point of the group is only 4 points, no matter what, it has been unable to surpass the Taishan team;
Of course, the best result for the Taishan team would definitely be the Yokohama Mariners who lost points and won the group themselves. The situation is quite optimistic, but the Tarzan team must beat Kaya FC in this round. Although Kaya FC has lost all four games so far, this team is not without a fight in the AFC Champions League, and the Taishan team must do its best to avoid "gutter overturning", Cui Kangxi also pointed out: "Kaya is indeed a weak opponent in the group, but we have to be cautious in every game." ”
Before the game, Choi Kang-hee confirmed the news that Moises will leave the team, "I haven't worked with Moises for a long time, but in training and games, he has performed well, is the banner of the Taishan team, and also plays a good role model for young players. It's a pity that I can't continue to maintain a working relationship with him in the future, and I hope that he can be luckier and better in the future. "This game will be Moisés' home farewell.
In recent days, Moises has frequently posted photos with his teammates on social media, and after training yesterday, the whole team even posed for a group photo with his signature "watch celebration" action. After Fellaini, another foreign player who has left many fond memories for Taishan fans will also say goodbye, and the club will hold a farewell ceremony after the game.
In the FA Cup, the objective difficulties faced by the Tarzan team are the suspension of Moises, Judson, and Fernando, especially Moises, who may not feel very important when he is present, but once he is not present, the midfield control of the Tarzan team has decreased significantly, and the attack is extremely messy.
But at least in this game of Kaya FC, the Taishan team has further reorganized in terms of personnel, although Fellaini did not participate in joint training, but Moises, Judson, Cressan, Pato, etc. can play, and there will be more room for both technical tactics and starting lineup arrangements.
In this game, mentality will be the key to the result of Taishan and Kaya FC. The Taishan team must play stronger in order to completely suppress Kaya FC, and must play more focused to prevent Kaya FC's counterattack, and the advantages of the Tarzan team in the side and high-altitude ball handling will become the key to determining the direction of the game. In addition to winning, it is also necessary for the Taishan team to strive for more goal difference, and it is necessary to consider the possibility of comparing small points with the second place in other groups at that time, and the goal difference is of course the more the merrier.
In the FA Cup final, the Zhejiang team is paying attention, because it is related to what level of Asian competition the Zhejiang team will participate in next season. In the end, Shanghai Shenhua relied on the goal of the Han Super League to defeat Shandong Taishan 1-0, and the Zhejiang team lost the qualification to participate in the AFC Champions League Elite next season and will compete in a new competition: AFC Champions League 2.
The AFC has restructured the AFC Champions League next season, divided into two competitions: the Elite League and the AFC Champions League 2. If Chinese Super League runners-up Shandong Taishan win the FA Cup, they will get a place in the AFC Champions League Elite League, and Zhejiang team, the third team in the Chinese Super League this season, will qualify for the AFC Champions League Elite Play-off and will participate in the AFC Champions League Elite Group Stage once they pass the test. Zhejiang defeated Thailand and Hong Kong in the AFC Champions League play-offs this season and returned to the AFC Champions League group stage after 12 years. But after Shanghai Shenhua won the FA Cup, Shenhua qualified for the AFC Champions League Elite Tournament, Shandong Taishan needed to participate in the elite play-offs, and Zhejiang team could only participate in the AFC Champions League 2.
On Wednesday, Zhejiang will play their last home game of the year at the Huzhou Olympic Sports Center against Buriram United. After 4 rounds, Melbourne City and Kofu Wind Forest have 7 points, Buriram United has 6 points, and Zhejiang has 3 points. Only if the Zhejiang team wins in this round of the group stage can it continue its hope of qualifying, and if it can't win, it means that it is out, so scoring 3 points has become the only goal of the Zhejiang team.
The Zhejiang team has been preparing for the Sino-Thai base recently, and played a warm-up match with the National Olympic team last Friday, and the result was a 4-1 victory over the opponent, and the physical condition of the Zhejiang team players remained good.
For the opponent, the Zhejiang team also kept an eye on it. Buriram United defender Pansa is likely to miss the game, he played in 41 international A-level matches for Thailand, scoring six goals, and in the World Preliminary Tournament against China, Pansa sprained his knee in a scuffle with Wei Shihao in the 35th minute, and then could not hold on and was substituted. After examination, it was diagnosed that his injuries were not serious, but that he would need about two or three weeks of rest. Pansar scored a goal in Buriram United's 4-1 home win over Zhejiang.
In addition to preparing for the final two rounds of the AFC Champions League group stage, the Zhejiang team is also carrying out some related work for next season. The Zhejiang Provincial Football Association and club executives have visited the stadium at the Shangcheng Sports Center, which was "renovated" before the Asian Games as a venue for football competitions. In addition to the Uptown Sports Centre, the club has also approached and inspected a number of stadiums and will soon finalise the team's home stadium for next season.
For two consecutive years, the third place in the Chinese Super League and the AFC Champions League, the Zhejiang team has become a "golden business card", many stadiums are interested in cooperating with the Zhejiang team, after the end of the Hangzhou Asian Games, many stadiums in Zhejiang Province have the hardware and software facilities to host the Super League and Asian events.
Zhejiang FC, which is under financial pressure, is very eager to get support from all walks of life, and they finalized whether the home stadium is conducive to the overall development of the team, and does not set any geographical restrictions, whether it is the stadium in various districts of Hangzhou, or the stadium in other parts of the province, it is possible to become the "home" of the Zhejiang team next season.
Wuhan Three Towns arrived in Japan on the 25th, and on November 29, Wuhan Three Towns hosted Urawa Red Diamonds away. Before leaving, Wuhan Three Towns received a fine from the AFC, and Wei Shihao, who received a red card against Hanoi in the last round, was suspended.
Wuhan Three Towns played in the AFC Champions League for the first time, and it was not smooth, the first round of the home match with Urawa Red Diamonds was very exciting, and the state and attitude of the whole team were worthy of affirmation, but in the end, it was a little regrettable that they were forced to draw by their opponents in stoppage time. In the last round of away games against Hanoi, after taking an early lead, he was never able to score a second goal, and was reversed by the opponent in the second half, losing the game, and paying the price of Wei Shihao's red card.
Wei Shihao, Liu Dianzuo and Xie Pengfei were called up by the national team and missed the recent team's joint training, after the international players returned to the team, Wuhan Three Towns also received a fine from the AFC, the ticket shows that Wuhan Three Towns player Wei Shihao was suspended for 2 games because of the "violent behavior of hitting the opponent's face with his knees" in the away game with Hanoi, plus the red card was automatically suspended for 1 game, a total of 3 suspensions, in addition, a fine of 1,000 US dollars needs to be paid. At the same time, the AFC also mentioned in the punishment that if Wei Shihao commits such a similar violation, he will be punished more severely.
For Wuhan Three Towns, the good news is that Deng Hanwen and other injured players have recovered well and can make a comeback. Pohang Steelers have secured top spot in the group with 12 points, with the other three teams all having a chance to finish second in the group. However, Wuhan Three Towns only has 4 points after 4 rounds, and must get 6 points in the last two rounds to be able to advance as the "second in the group with better results".
It will be quite difficult to win away from Urawa Red Diamonds. Because of the club's equity reform, the player's mood and state have been affected to a certain extent, whether in the league or in the AFC Champions League, the performance of Wuhan Three Towns has been a little up and down, such as the last round of away games with Hanoi, entering the second half, the team seems to be relaxed all of a sudden, playing a little casually, fans once wondered, is the team not wanting to play. If they want to keep their chances of qualifying, Wuhan Three Towns need to first let everyone see positive changes in their attitude towards the game.
Urawa Red Diamonds also received a fine from the AFC. Urawa Red Diamonds coach Skorza was sent off with a red card for insulting the referee in his last match against Pohang Steelers, and the AFC Discipline Committee suspended him for four matches and fined him US$5,000. Also in the game against Pohang Steelers, Urawa Red Diamond player Akimoto Kaohiro stepped on the leg of the opposing player with a shoe spike in the 72nd minute, and went off the field with a serious foul, and the AFC Discipline Inspection Committee suspended him for two games and fined him $1,000. In addition, 33-year-old Guinean goalscorer Jose Kante, the former Chinese Super League player in the Urawa team, has confirmed that he will retire at the end of the season, which means that this game will also be his home curtain call for the team.