Beijing Guoan to Miss Three Key Players in AFC Champions League Elite, but They Have an Advantage Over Shenhua with Montgomery Holding Eight Foreign Players

In the September 15 match between Beijing Guoan and Pohang Steelers at Beijing Guoan's home ground, according to online reports, at least three key players will be absent. Zhang Yuning was called up for the Asian Games as an overage player. He is Beijing Guoan's top scorer this season, having scored 14 goals in all competitions and provided six assists. Cao Yongjing and Bai Yang will also be suspended for this match due to red card issues from last season. As a result, Beijing Guoan will be missing key players on the wings as well as in defense.

The writer personally believes that although Beijing Guoan face the difficulty of missing key players, Montgomery still has eight foreign players available, which is already much better than Shanghai Shenhua's depleted squad with three foreign players for the AFC Champions League second-tier competition. Players like Davon can participate in the AFC Champions League, and Nkolo also will not be affected by Chinese Super League registration rules. However, whether Spajic can return after recovering from injury remains uncertain.

Beijing Guoan have remained unbeaten in 15 matches across all competitions this season, just one match short of last season's 16-game unbeaten run. They will host South Korea's Pohang Steelers at Workers' Stadium. This season's AFC Champions League Elite competition has expanded to 32 teams, and each team can play eight matches. Therefore, every point is crucial. This is also an important step toward the previous goal of achieving self-sustainability. During the summer transfer window, Beijing Guoan signed Dudziak, who had played in the Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2 for many years, as well as Akolo, who previously played for Stuttgart. If everything goes smoothly, Beijing Guoan will have three foreign players with previous Bundesliga appearances in this match. The writer recalls that Zhang Xizhe also joined a Bundesliga club before, but did not make an appearance, so strictly speaking there are four players developed by Bundesliga clubs involved in this match.

According to online information, Dudziak can play multiple positions in the central and defensive areas and is more defense-oriented. Akolo is a threat on the wing. It is unknown whether Nkolo will be able to play in the AFC Champions League. If he can participate, both wings could become more dangerous and compensate for Cao Yongjing's absence.

Ramos proved his strength in the match against Shanghai Port in the previous away game. Ramos, as one foreign player, withstood the attack from a Port side featuring five foreign players. Ramos also previously appeared in the Bundesliga with Hamburg. His defensive resilience and physical strength remain very impressive.

According to the AFC Champions League schedule, Beijing Guoan will play against Asian teams including Pohang Steelers, Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, Ratchaburi, and Newcastle Jets. The expectation is that Beijing Guoan can make a winning start.