At 20:00 on the evening of July 13th, the 19th round of the Chinese Super League (CSL) will see Shenzhen New Pengcheng host Henan at their home ground. Currently in the league standings, Shenzhen New Pengcheng has 17 points from 4 wins, 5 draws, and 9 losses, temporarily ranking 12th with a 4-point cushion above the relegation zone. With Cangzhou’s draw this round, they have the opportunity to widen the gap with their opponents. Henan, with 20 points from 5 wins, 5 draws, and 8 losses, is provisionally in 9th place but still trails Wuhan Three Towns by 2 points.
The upward momentum of New Pengcheng has been temporarily suppressed. In the previous round, they were held to a 1-1 draw away against Cangzhou Lions. The match was uneventful, with neither team seemingly strongly desiring victory, suggesting that a draw was an acceptable outcome for both sides. For New Pengcheng, being able to halt their decline quickly after losing 0-3 to Tianjin Tigers can be considered encouraging. Looking back at the last five rounds, New Pengcheng’s performance was commendable. Two wins, one draw, and two losses, especially the 3-2 comeback win against the formidable Zhejiang team, injected a significant boost into the entire squad.
Henan is shedding its early-season slump and gradually returning to an upward trajectory. In the previous match, Henan experienced torrential rains in Zhengzhou, turning the Hanghai Stadium into a sea. After a fiercely contested yet technically mediocre rain-soaked game, Henan narrowly lost 1-0 to the highly offensive Shanghai Port. Weather conditions may have played a role in effectively stifling Shanghai Port’s fluid ground play. However, over the last five rounds, Henan won three matches, drew one, and lost one, performing remarkably. The most exhilarating of these was the 2-1 home victory against Beijing Guoan.
The two teams do not have a rich history of confrontations. In their first meeting this season, Shenzhen New Pengcheng defeated Henan 2-0 away. At that time, as a new CSL team, New Pengcheng fought bravely and ultimately claimed their first-ever victory in the CSL (after renaming) from Henan. At that point, Henan was stuck in a winless rut where their performances weren’t poor, but the results were always unsatisfactory. Now, Henan is catching up, and luck seems to be on their side.
Before the match, Henan’s head coach Nam Ki-il stated, “The first game against Shenzhen was early in the season when our team suffered a loss. Since then, we’ve been improving continuously. New players have arrived during this period, leading to significant changes within the team.”
New Pengcheng has just completed the loan signing of Karcev from Istanbul Basaksehir in Turkey. This midfielder holds dual nationality from Israel and Belarus. His addition will be a crucial reinforcement for New Pengcheng’s midfield. National team forward Bai Helamu Shiya returned from the Asian Qualifiers with boosted confidence. This Xinjiang-born forward is one of the key factors behind New Pengcheng’s resurgence. However, New Pengcheng is one of the teams in the league that heavily relies on foreign players. Of their 18 goals scored so far, five foreign players contributed 14 goals. Garcia is the top scorer within the team with six goals.
Henan’s foreign player Denic recently underwent nasal bone surgery. According to Zhengguan News, this Serbian foreign player has also joined the team in Shenzhen. Denic’s swift recovery at least gives Nam Ki-il more options for lineup arrangements. Currently, Henan faces a personnel crisis at left-back due to consecutive injuries to Liu Bin and Ding Haifeng. However, other positions are well-stocked, especially with Zhong Yihao’s return from injury. Nam Ki-il can now field two attacking combinations upfront, and the synergy among the foreign players is improving.
In the fourth round of this year’s league, Henan lost 0-2 at home to promoted team Shenzhen New Pengcheng, suffering their first home defeat of the new season while gifting their opponents their first CSL victory. That match made Nam Ki-il realize the cruelty of the CSL, as he heard the full stadium chanting for his dismissal for the first time in China. Therefore, for him, this trip south to Shenzhen carries a strong sense of seeking revenge.
