September 6 Bold Prediction: Chengdu Rongcheng vs Henan Starting XI, Wang Ziming and Wei Shihao Lead the Attack

On the evening of August 29 at Phoenix Mountain, Felipe scored a header in the 26th minute and received his fourth yellow card of the season for a sliding tackle in the 58th minute. This goal and card directly changed the script for the September 6 match at Zhengzhou Hanghai Stadium—Chengdu Rongcheng originally could have relied on the Brazilian striker's hold-up play to comfortably defeat Henan, but now must rely on Wang Ziming leading the attack and Wei Shihao carrying the main responsibility.

The match will take place at 19:35 on September 6, 2026, in Chinese Super League Round 26, with Chengdu Rongcheng visiting Henan Club Cai Taofang. After 25 rounds, Rongcheng have 15 wins, 6 draws and 4 losses for 51 points, leading Beijing Guoan, Qingdao West Coast and Dalian Yingbo in second place by 14 points. If Rongcheng win this match, their points will reach 54. Even if the chasing teams win all remaining five matches, they can only reach 52 points at most, meaning Rongcheng will seal the 2026 CSL title four rounds early and become the first western Chinese top-flight champion in 32 years of professional football in China.

Felipe's suspension affects more than just one match.

This season he has made 19 appearances, scoring 17 goals and providing 3 assists. He accounts for more than one-third of Rongcheng's 51 goals and is the key focal point of the team's attacking “F4”. More importantly, he triggered the concussion substitution procedure in the 84th minute. Under the new Chinese Football Association regulations, he must rest for one round. With the yellow-card suspension and concussion recovery applied together, he will miss not only the September 6 match against Henan but also the October 10 match against Tianjin Jinmen Tiger. Missing two consecutive key games means Rongcheng must rebuild their attack.

Aloisio said directly at the post-match press conference: “Felipe's suspension will not cause too much trouble. The substitutes in the squad are in good form and have the ability to score.” The coach's confidence comes from the players available on the bench.

Wang Ziming was the player who started in Round 25. Before Felipe's 26th-minute header, he won the ball on the left and delivered a first-time cross with an accurate trajectory. Before being substituted in the 66th minute, he kept moving around the left side of the attack. He is not a traditional target striker, but he is familiar with dropping back to link play, making side crosses and then attacking the box. Aloisio specifically mentioned him: “Wang Ziming is a very capable forward. He directly contributed to goals in the past three matches and his understanding with the attack is improving.” Moving such an in-form player into the central striker role is the most natural replacement in this system.

Wei Shihao is another pillar. The words he shouted to the stands with a megaphone in the dressing room have spread widely: “Bring the championship back to Chengdu in the next match.” This season is considered one of Wei Shihao's best in terms of form, with key passes and goals in both the AFC Champions League and the CSL. Without Felipe, Wei Shihao needs to take on more shooting responsibility while staying composed and avoiding the emotional mistakes he has made in the past.

Romulo will continue to operate centrally. He is regarded as one of the best attacking midfielders in the CSL, with through balls and set pieces as his weapons for breaking down opponents.

On the left side of the front three is Wellington Silva, who recently ended his scoring drought. He scored with a long-range shot in Round 25 and has scored in two consecutive rounds.

How to build the midfield is the real focus of this lineup.

Brazilian foreign player Matheus Jussa will anchor the midfield and defense area, handling interceptions and tackles, while naturalized player Yang Mingyang partners with him as a double defensive midfield pair. These two are Aloisio's “ace double pivot”, capable of both attacking and defending. The free roles on the wings belong to national team prospect Hu Hetao on the left and Wellington Silva on the right—each must provide attacking output while also tracking back defensively.

The defensive line selection presents a dilemma. Against Liaoning Tieren in Round 25, Aloisio moved centre-back Sorokin, who had previously shown defensive problems several times, to the bench and replaced him with Li Yang alongside Han Pengfei as the centre-back pair. The adjustment worked, and the team earned three points. Li Yang and Han Pengfei are expected to continue together, while national team prospect He Yiran could also enter the three-man defensive lineup. There is no suspense in goal, with Liu Dianzuo remaining the undisputed starter.

Henan are not an easy opponent.

After 24 rounds, they have 8 wins, 7 draws and 9 losses with 25 points, ranking 12th and only 5 to 6 points above the relegation zone. The pressure of avoiding relegation is real. Hanghai Stadium has also been an unfavorable venue for Rongcheng—Henan defeated Rongcheng in all three meetings in the 2025 season, and Rongcheng's 3-0 home win in the first meeting this season ended their losing streak. Henan understand the importance of this match and do not want to become a championship backdrop.

Historical head-to-head data shows Rongcheng and Henan have each won four, drawn two and lost four of their last 10 meetings. The rate of high-scoring games is only 20%, showing a clear tendency toward lower-scoring matches. Henan are good at compact defending and quick counterattacks, with foreign player Gustavo serving as their counterattacking spearhead. If Rongcheng continue the “small diagonal passing” system used when Felipe was available, the lack of a 1.88-meter aerial target could reduce the impact of Wei Shihao's horizontal movements and Romulo's through balls.

The four matches played earlier on the evening of September 5 will also bring variables for Rongcheng. Beijing Guoan vs Shanghai Port, Dalian Yingbo vs Qingdao Hainiu, Qingdao West Coast vs Wuhan Three Towns, and Shandong Taishan vs Shenzhen Peng City—if all four chasing teams fail to win, Rongcheng could claim the title before even playing Henan. However, such a “win the title without playing” scenario is unlikely; the more probable script is that the answer will be decided on the night of September 6 at Hanghai Stadium.

Expected Rongcheng starting lineup (three-man defense system): Liu Dianzuo; Li Yang, Han Pengfei, He Yiran; Matheus Jussa, Yang Mingyang, Wellington Silva, Hu Hetao; Wei Shihao, Wang Ziming, Romulo. Baihelamu, Tang Chuang and Mutalifu will remain available from the bench.

On the Hanghai Stadium pitch, Felipe can only sit in the stands wearing casual clothes. Wang Ziming must shoulder the responsibility in the familiar yet unfamiliar central striker position, Wei Shihao must bring the passion represented by the captain's armband into the penalty area, and Jussa and Yang Mingyang must build a wall in midfield. Henan's five-foreign-player lineup will not surrender easily, and a home team fighting relegation often shows more resilience than its league position suggests.

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