AFC Champions League Secondary League Preview: Zhejiang Team Welcomes AFC Match at Home After the New Year; Many Draws for Away Team Maungthu

On October 3rd at 20:00, in the second round of Group F of the AFC Champions League Secondary League, Zhejiang Team will host Indonesian team Maungthu at Hangzhou Huanglong Stadium.

The first leg of the AFC Champions League saw Zhejiang Team lose 0-2 away to Lion City Sailors, while Maungthu lost 0-1 at home to Thai Port. The current situation for both teams in the group is not good. This match also has historical significance for Zhejiang Team, as it marks the return of AFC matches to Huanglong Stadium after 13 years.

At the pre-match press conference, Zhejiang Team’s head coach Jordi emphasized the theme of “repayment,” stating that “our goal is to give back the joy and three points we owe our fans.” As last season’s third-place finisher in the Chinese Super League (CSL), Zhejiang Team has been in poor form recently, failing to win any of their last six games across all competitions (2 draws, 4 losses). Currently, they are ranked eighth in the league. Specifically, in their home games, Zhejiang Team has lost three out of their last five home matches, and the team is in dire need of a morale boost.

Founded in 1933, Maungthu has a long history and has won the Indonesian League title seven times. However, in the past decade, the team has failed to claim the league trophy. This season, Maungthu has gone seven rounds unbeaten, but an excess of draws (4) has prevented them from breaking into the top three of the league table. East China media have described Maungthu as the “masters of draws,” particularly away from home, where they have drawn all three of their recent away matches and five out of their last seven away games, giving a sense that they are neither weak against strong opponents nor strong against weaker ones.

In terms of head-to-head records, although there have been many encounters between CSL teams and Indonesian teams, these two sides have never faced each other before. Additionally, Zhejiang Team has never played against an Indonesian team in Asian competitions, and Maungthu has never faced a CSL team in Asian competitions.

Regarding personnel, several Zhejiang players, including Leonardo, Yao Junsheng, and Dong Yu, are suspended by the AFC and cannot play. Moreover, Liu Haofan is absent due to illness, and Frank is out due to injury. Before the match, Coach Jordi said this was not a problem: “Will Wang Yudong get more playing time? We have many players missing in the AFC Champions League, but we knew this would be the case at the start of the season, and we will field the bravest and most eager to win players.” On the Maungthu side, winger Fibri is out due to ligament surgery; this player has scored 2 goals in 20 appearances for the team since last season.

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