Match Preview: On October 28, Beijing time, at 3:30 pm on Thursday, Shandong Taishan will face Wuhan again in the second round of the FA Cup. In the first leg of the competition, Wuhan team had few shots in the whole game, but the defense was good, blocking many must-score goals of Shandong Taishan, and finally lost to the opponent 0-2.
Before the second round, the staffing of the two teams changed dramatically. Wuhan's 2 major foreign aides have traveled thousands of miles to support, and Shandong Taishan's ace Fellaini is likely to be absent. Under this circumstance, the strength of the two teams was brought closer.
Before the game, it was rumored that Coach Li Xiaopeng had no idea about the FA Cup. Now it seems that he is stubborn and wants to show his hand in front of his father and elder in his hometown.
In the first leg of the FA Cup, Shandong Taishan 6 main players were absent, but 3 foreign players and 1 naturalized player appeared. In addition to the all-Chinese class, the Wuhan team was not there, and the main players such as Fang Hao and Yang Boyu did not play. The difference in strength between the two teams is large, and the score of 0-2 is somewhat satisfactory for both sides.
But before the second leg, the situation between the two teams changed dramatically.
Shandong Taishan's biggest foreign aid Fellaini did not practice with the team, it is reported that he is injured, basically sure that he will miss the second leg of the game. Fellaini can't play, and the defensive pressure on Wuhan will be reduced a lot. Defenders such as Ye Chongqiu, Liao Junjian and Zhao Hongluo are fully capable of dealing with Shandong frontcourt players such as Moises and Delgado.
On the Wuhan team,Yang Boyu has appeared in training. Raphael and Lopez, two foreign players who returned to China, also rushed to Dalian to try to play in the second leg.
Originally, the balance of victory had fallen to the side of the Shandong Taishan team. But the change in the lineup of the two teams allowed Li Xiaopeng's team to see an opportunity.
In the previous FA Cup match, Wuhan scored a total of 11 goals in the two rounds. But facing Shandong Taishan, the team did not have many offensive methods, and there were only 2 shots on goal. After the return of the two foreign players, the team will have more choice points and more changes in the way of play.
Last July, Raphael suffered a serious injury in training and was reimbursed for the season. This year, Raphael failed to fight the plane, failed to return from Europe, and did not return home until October. Having not played in the official tournament for 15 months, how well he recovers will also be a question mark.
In the first three FA Cup matches, Huang Zichang was at the forefront. But he is not tall, and he suffers a lot when he competes with his opponents. After Dong Xuesheng joined Wuhan, he never scored in the league again. In the last FA Cup, the two played well, successfully disrupting the backline of Shandong Taishan, embarrassing Jia Desong, who has repeatedly paid the price of fouls.
After the two major foreign aides rush to help, the Wuhan team's frontcourt combination is likely to change. Huang Zichang is likely to return to midfield, while Dong Xuesheng will be a substitute. Liu Yun, Li Xing and others, who have not been able to find the state, can finally connect Raphael this time.
Of course, the return of the two super foreign aides does not mean that the Wuhan team can win the game.
There is still a gap between the strength of the two teams, and after the Wuhan team attacks, shandong Taishan's counterattack will be more threatening. Sun Zhunhao, Delgado, Tian Xin and other frontcourt players will get more opportunities.
However, the temporary transfer of two foreign aides who have returned to Wuhan can see the determination of Coach Li Xiaopeng. For the FA Cup quarter-finals, he did not want to announce his "surrender" early. In last year's FA Cup, Wuhan lost 0-6 against Shandong Taishan and did not achieve a goal. Although there is little hope of qualifying, coach Li Xiaopeng intends to be able to score in the second leg.
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