August 22, 19:35, FA Cup quarterfinals, Shanghai Shenhua hosts Beijing Guoan. On the afternoon of the 21st, Shenhua’s head coach Slutsky attended the pre-match press conference.
Slutsky said, “Tomorrow’s match is very, very important. It’s a key match in the round of eight. We haven’t won against Guoan in two matches this year, and tomorrow’s match is also a crucial test for us. We will face this game in good form.”
When asked if the injured player Maluleke could play, Slutsky replied, “Maluleke cannot play.”
Slutsky frankly stated, “It’s not the first time that some of our key players have missed games due to injuries. Maluleke has been absent from five or six games due to injury before, as has Luis. Teixeira and Amadou have also missed games due to injuries, but we have enough players to handle all matches.”
When asked about Wang Haijian being selected for the new national team roster, how does the head coach evaluate it? Slutsky responded, “In the past two or three months, he has been one of the outstanding players. He is familiar with the midfield diamond formation, and I hope Wang Haijian can start for the national team.”
Talking about the opponent, Slutsky said, “Guoan is one of the excellent teams in the CSL. In the last encounter, we felt that a draw was not significant for us, so we took some risky tactics, unfortunately, we lost. Tomorrow is the FA Cup, although we just finished the Shanghai Derby and it was very exhausting, but this is significant for both Shenhua and the fans. We will show our best ability and level.”
