AFC Champions League: Buriram vs Shanghai Port! Playing one match and losing 3 key players, is it tough for Shanghai Port with 8 absences?

Today, our first topic isthe AFC Champions League match: Buriram vs Shanghai Port!

There's a well-known NBA phrase: "Never underestimate the heart of a champion!"

This phrase suits Shanghai Port especially well, as they displayed tremendous determination in their last game against Zhejiang, earning my full respect!

However,they paid a very heavy price.How serious are their injuries today? I almost feel reluctant to even guess their lineup.

For example, I simply can't imagineLi Shuai managed to stay on the field until the 88th minute before being substituted!

Keep in mind,he had a high fever of 39 degrees Celsius just last night!And today, he almost played the entire match? Moreover, he played as a full-back, a position that requires huge energy? He even provided an assist? What an incredible display of mental strength!

Not only Li Shuai, but several other players like Leonardo also have varying degrees of injuries.

For instance, after Leonardo injured his knee, he missed all pre-match training sessions, and even on the match day morning, the team doctor wasn’t sure if he had fully recovered. It was his strong personal request to play.

Overall,Shanghai Port faces many injuries today, plus Gustavo’s suspension and the National Games call-ups,all these factors combined make the list of absentees especially long.

I checked, and it’s expected that 8 players will miss the match today.

All eight are very talented players.

I did a quick calculation, and together,they contributed 55 goals and 40 assists in the Chinese Super League.What does that mean? Shanghai Port scored only 71 goals in total in the league.

There are two points here.

First, the loss in immediate playing strength is huge.

Everyone can see that missing so many key players definitely affects the team.

Second, the remaining players will be extremely fatigued.

For a team aiming for a historic three-peat, it requires the collective effort of the entire squad—it’s a team victory.

On the surface, 8 players are injured, but with only one round left in the season, the others will be worn out too. Overusing them risks further injuries.

This is my perspective.

Since the AFC Champions League stopped limiting foreign players, in my opinion, its value has dropped, because the purpose behind this change is obvious to those who understand.

Shanghai Port’s past AFC records haven’t been great, and now with such exhaustion and injuries at this critical last round, and it’s an away game, I really don’t see the need to fight so hard. What if more injuries happen? Losing key players again? It’s unnecessary—this is a chance for a three-peat, which is a remarkable achievement in any sport.

If they get knocked out of the AFC, it might not be a bad thing. At least the exhausted players can rest better and avoid more knockout matches.

On the surface, playing the AFC brings extra income.

But if it causes more injuries to key players, that income is offset by the high salaries paid to those players.

Can Buriram compare to the Chinese Super League champions? I don’t believe so.

But on one hand, their season just started, so their fitness is excellent.

On the other hand, they lead the Thai league by a wide margin because other teams have issues; Buriram is already 5 points ahead even with one game fewer, so there’s little pressure.

Therefore, they can focus entirely on this AFC match without distractions.

Shanghai Port’s final is the league, while Buriram’s final might be this AFC match today.

Although Buriram’s squad is quite weak in the AFC East region,

they changed coaches last month. The new coach, Jackson, played for Leeds United for a long time and worked in their coaching staff for seven or eight years after retirement, very familiar with Leeds’ aggressive pressing style.

Given the big fitness gap today, this style might be very effective.

Their owner also made a public statement saying the team is ready, calling on fans to cheer loudly and help the team secure three points. Overall, confidence is quite high.

So, although Buriram’s status and reputation are far below Shanghai Port’s,

in this special situation today, can Buriram satisfy their fans? What do you think? I’m a bit worried they might get the three points, and if I were to guess the score, I’d lean towards a Buriram win.

Alright, for today’s other matches, I will still send text opinions to everyone tonight. If anything is unclear, feel free to ask me. “Watch football, watch clearly,” see you there!

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