Unsurprisingly, Slutsky will stick to abandoning the traditional four-guard system on the defensive end. Chen Zhenyi, Manafa, Zhu Chenjie, and Jiang Shenglong, the new star of the national team who just recovered from injury, will form the big four of the defense. Zhu Chenjie and Jiang Shenglong will partner the center backs, while Manafa and Chen Jinyi, who are the key foreigners, will split the sides and act as wing backs. On the bench, national soccer team's Yang Zexiang is on standby, while the performance of returning foreigner Manafa is especially noteworthy.
In the midfield, there is no doubt that Shanghai Shenhua's central midfielder and former captain Wu Xi, who specializes in interceptions and tackles, will continue to play a key role, and his partner in the double back will be local rookie Wang Haijian. French star Amadou continues to miss out due to injury. Given that foreigner Teixeira is unavailable due to a ban, it is expected that international player Xie Pengfei will be at the center of the attack. Xu Haoyang and Brazilian foreign aid Andre Luiz will act as the left and right wings, forming an attacking triangle with Xie Pengfei.
Up front, the 37-year-old local scorer is expected to lead the charge given Malalele's recent slump in form. Mallet, on the other hand, will be the substitute. Summarizing the above information, Shanghai Shenhua's starting lineup against Ulsan HD is likely to be: Bao Yaxiong; Chen Jinyi, Manafa, Zhu Chenjie, Jiang Shenglong; Wang Haijian, Wu Xi; Xu Haoyang, Xie Pengfei, André Luis.
