Slutsky: Most of the Time is Spent on Travel; Will Field the Strongest Lineup Against Johor Darul Ta’zim

According to the official report from Shanghai Shenhua Club, at 11:00 on September 30th, the pre-match press conference for the second round of the 2024/25 AFC Champions League Elite League match between Johor Darul Ta’zim and Shanghai Shenhua was held in the press conference hall of the home stadium in Johor Bahru, Malaysia.

Slutsky stated, “Recently, the schedule has been intense, and we have spent most of our time traveling. Currently, the workload on the team’s medical staff is very heavy; they are working hard to help the players recover. Although the objective difficulties are evident, we take the AFC Champions League very seriously. I hope that through such high-level matches, we can accumulate more experience for the team. We have made the necessary preparations for tomorrow’s match and will field our strongest lineup.”

Talking about the opponent, Slutsky believes, “As the dominant team in the Malaysian league, Johor Darul Ta’zim has a very strong attacking power and a fast pace of attack and defense. Tomorrow will undoubtedly be an intense and exciting match.”

Player Teixeira, who attended the press conference, said, “I recently had some injury issues, but now my body has fully recovered. The opponent’s possession-based playing style will certainly cause us some trouble, including the special weather conditions here. However, I will give it my all to enjoy every match in the AFC Champions League. I am very much looking forward to playing a fantastic match with a strong opponent in such a beautiful stadium for the fans.”

At 20:00 on October 1st, Shanghai Shenhua will challenge Johor Darul Ta’zim away. This Malaysian powerhouse once visited Shanghai in mid-September, drawing 2-2 with Shanghai Port at that time.

So, the team that Shanghai Port failed to defeat is now facing Shanghai Shenhua. Can Shenhua win away?