At 19:00 on November 4, the 23rd round of the Chinese Super League (CSL) will be lit up again, with Guangzhou moving to Haikou to challenge Cangzhou Lions. The sudden announcement by the Chinese Super League officials that the match, originally scheduled to be played at Guangzhou's Huadu Stadium, will be moved to the Mission Hills Soccer Base Stadium in Haikou, a change that will undoubtedly benefit the Cangzhou Lions even more - since the league's return to the home-and-away system, they've already established a home-field advantage in Haikou, and they know the venue and the climate like the back of their hand.
Cangzhou Lions are currently in a good position for relegation with 6 wins, 7 draws and 9 losses, accumulating 25 points, 10 points ahead of the relegation zone. The new recruits introduced in the summer transfer window, Owusu, José Kante and Oscar, form a powerful forward line, with the trio combining to score 14 goals, among which Kante's fast breakthrough is like a tiger coming down from the mountain, which puts pressure on Guangzhou's all-Chinese lineup.
Guangzhou suffered three consecutive defeats in the last round of the league, losing 1-4 to Beijing Guoan and dropping to 17th place. Facing every round of the league, they must give their best, the club released the "overcome difficulties" poster, which is a reflection of their current mentality.
The intensive schedule poses a great challenge to the veterans of the Guangzhou team. Fortunately, Hao, Ronghao and Zhang Chenglin are expected to continue to start in this round after resting for half a game in the previous round and recovering well. The core of the midfield, Yan Dinghao, is back from suspension, but the main center back, Li Yang, is suspended for accumulating yellow cards, while the injuries of Wu Shaochong and Wei Shihao are still uncertain, and there are still hidden problems in both offense and defense.
Yang Liyu's header injected vitality into the Guangzhou team, but it also exposed the deficiencies in the defense of set-pieces. Facing the Cangzhou Lions' dominance in the midfield, Guangzhou will need to adopt a defensive counter-attacking tactic, especially in the transition from defense to offense, Hao Junmin and other midfielders' scheduling and quick passes will be the key.
In the first meeting between the two teams this season, Guangzhou lost 0-2 and was at a psychological disadvantage. Now that their opponents have strengthened their lineup in the summer window, it will not be easy for Guangzhou to end their losing streak as they lose their home field advantage.
