Preview of the AFC Champions League Elite Match: Kobe Struggles for First Win Facing Difficult Choices, Shandong Taishan Aims for Consecutive Wins & Defends the Honor of CSL

On October 2nd, in the second round of the East Asian Zone of the AFC Champions League Elite, Chinese Super League (CSL) team Shandong Taishan will face Japanese team Vissel Kobe as visitors. Vissel Kobe is striving for their first win in this season’s AFC Champions League Elite, while Shandong Taishan not only hopes to achieve consecutive wins but also aims to defend the honor of the CSL teams.

Vissel Kobe’s Japanese trio of Koki Muto, Yuya Osako, and Daisei Kanno have all scored double-digit goals this season, with Koki Muto scoring the winning goal in the last match. Shandong Taishan has brought a squad of 24 players on this away trip, and the recently recovered Xinghan Wu is not among them, though Zeeka’s return from injury is good news for Shandong Taishan.

Vissel Kobe currently ranks second in the J-League, just one point behind the top team, and with a high chance of defending their title, they may need to make some choices. In multi-front battles, Vissel Kobe has remained undefeated for ten consecutive matches, achieving eight wins and two draws. At home, Vissel Kobe has been undefeated for nine consecutive matches, recently securing three consecutive wins, keeping clean sheets against Sagan Tosu and Urawa Reds.

After the last break, Shandong Taishan lost to Qingdao West Coast, but subsequently maintained an unbeaten record of three wins and one draw in four matches, including their first win in the AFC Champions League Elite, beating Central Coast Mariners 3-1. In the last CSL match, Taishan defeated Shenzhen New Pengcheng 4-1, ending their losing streak away from home, and rotated the squad, preparing for the clash with Vissel Kobe.

In the 2022 season when Vissel Kobe last participated in the AFC Champions League, they were grouped with Shanghai Port, but missed the opportunity to face each other due to Shanghai Port’s withdrawal.

Shandong Taishan was grouped with the Japanese team Yokohama F. Marinos last season. In the final round away, they suffered a 0-3 defeat, nearly leading to elimination. In the Round of 16, Shandong Taishan defeated another Japanese team, Kawasaki Frontale, 4-2 away in the second leg, advancing by overturning the situation. In the quarter-finals, Shandong Taishan faced Yokohama F. Marinos again and was eliminated by the opponent, losing 0-1 away.

The first round of Vissel Kobe ended in a 0-0 draw away to Buriram United, indicating that under the hope of defending their J-League title, their focus on the AFC Champions League Elite stage is still insufficient. On the other hand, Shandong Taishan has no further aspirations in the CSL, and now focuses on competing in the FA Cup and AFC Champions League Elite. This trip to Japan aims for a second consecutive win, more importantly, after the defeats of the Shanghai duo yesterday, Shandong Taishan must defend the face of the CSL.

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