Shanghai Shenhua Coach Says 'Away Match Will Be Difficult'; Fans Say Chongqing Tonglianglong Are Winless in Seven Games

In the 26th round of the Chinese Super League, Milojjevic said at the pre-match press conference: "Tomorrow's (September 6) away match will undoubtedly be very difficult, and I hope our players can rise to the challenge." Based on Chongqing Tonglianglong's results over the past two months, fans believe the team has gone seven matches without a win.

After Chongqing Tonglianglong defeated Qingdao West Coast 2-0 in the FA Cup on July 21, the team's form declined sharply. They then lost 0-1 away to Wuhan Three Towns, lost 0-2 away to Shenzhen, lost 2-3 at home to Shanghai Port, lost 0-1 away to Qingdao West Coast, lost 0-1 at home to Dalian Yingbo, drew away with Henan, and lost 0-1 away to Yunnan Yukun in the FA Cup.

Of course, Shenhua's current form is also not ideal. Milojjevic has coached four matches, recording three defeats and one win. The main issue is that no clear improvement has been seen. Injuries and formation adjustments have affected the team, including the continued discussion over moving Manafa to the left side. Like Chongqing Tonglianglong, Shenhua failed to reach the FA Cup semifinals. Shenhua's injury list has now also added Chen Jinyi. This season, Shenhua, Shanghai Port, and Beijing Guoan have all been heavily affected by injuries, especially in the first half of the season. However, Shanghai Port and Beijing Guoan have benefited from being able to bring injured players back after a period of recovery.

With only five league rounds remaining, players such as Jiang Shenglong, Li Ke, and Jin Shunkai have not been ruled out for the season, but it appears difficult for them to return in the remaining league matches. In the FA Cup, Mineiro lost control of his emotions, received a red card, and was given an additional suspension. As fans have said, Shenhua's injuries and yellow/red-card suspensions have continued throughout the season. Even without competing on three fronts, when the team faces the pressure of two matches in a week, it has often resulted in either red cards or injuries.

According to the Chinese Football Association's arrangements, the referee for the Chongqing Tonglianglong versus Shenhua match is Jia Zhiliang, with Li Haixin serving as the VAR referee. For Shenhua, a victory in this match would still not move them into the top five, while a defeat would not put them into a relegation situation. At present, whether they can advance from the AFC Champions League Two group stage may be more important than their league position, which is currently neither improving nor declining. If they advance from the AFC Champions League Two group stage, they will have knockout matches to play next year; if they fail to qualify from the group stage, they may have no Asian-level competitions next year.