Yuexiushan News and Preview: Harbin v R&F

Whilst YNP has an eye of the beaches of Brazil, Guangzhou R&F make the short 2792km hop northwards to the Ice City to take on Harbin Yiteng. Can the Cantonese bounce back from two defeats in five days or will Harbin make it a week for them to forget?

Club News

Jiang Ning’s effort to start his summer holiday early by stamping on Wu Yuyin’s face failed as his three match ban has now ended but Xu Bo was  successful as he still has two games of his three match ban for striking Yu Hai to serve. Tang Miao is also a doubt after picking up a knock last night.

Last Time Out

Shandong handed the blue and whites their first defeat at Yuexiushan since September with a clinical display of counter attacking and some of the darker arts of the game. R&F only have themselves to blame however as they created plenty of chances but proved incapable of taking them.

Due to President Putin’s visit to Shanghai, Harbin midweek game against East Asia was rearranged so their last game was at the weekend when a last minute Dori penalty both completed his hat trick and earned his side a point against Shenhua.

Stats of the week

• Guangzhou R&F had 10 corners and 23 shots against Shandong but could only score once
• Shandong’s starting 11 featured only 1 player, Du Wei, with a numbers less than 11 on his back

Photo of the week

Guangzhou R&F right back Tang Miao is given the magic sponge treatment on Thursday night

Tang Miao

Causes for Optimism…

YNP refuses to believe that R&F’s finishing can be as wasteful as against Shandong. If they can create as many chances on Sunday then the goals will come. Jiang Ning’s return may even see Zhang Yuan dropped to the bench.

Harbin are at the foot of the CSL table for a reason that seems to have more to do with the quality of their side than being forced to play their first seven games on the road. Despite their recent revival, if R&F don’t come away with the points it will be a major shock.

… and for Concern

Park Jong-Woo’s absence left a gaping hole in central midfield as Zhu Baojie can’t fill the World Cup bound South Korean’s boots. Sven may try Li Yan or Feng Zhouyi in this role on Sunday It’s also worth mentioning that R&F will only have two free days before Sunday’s match and one of these will be taken up with flying 2792km to Harbin.

Former Guangdong Sunray Cave player Dori has adapted quickly to life in the CSL and will have to be watched closely by the R&F defence, especially Jang Hyun-Soo had an uncharacteristically poor game against Shandong on his return.

Watch Out For

Deadline day arrival Ken Ilso has two goals to his name but has otherwise struggled to impress. Perhaps as a consequence of warming up with one of the trainers rather than the rest of the side, his teammates seem unwilling or unable to pass to him despite the Dane making runs. If any foreigners depart in the summer, the axe is most likely to fall on Ilso so Sunday may be the last chance to see him in action.

The Verdict

It will be a very tired R&F team that take the field on Sunday but they should still have enough for to come away with three points so YNP will break the habit of a lifetime and predict an away win for the Cantonese: 2-1.

Reality Check

R&F as predicted by the Yuexiushan News and Review:

P 13  W 5   D 4   L 4   GF 17   GA 16   GD +1   Pts 19

R&F according to the CSL table:

P 13  W 6   D 4   L 3   GF 25   GA 15   GD +10   Pts 22

Harbin Yiteng v Guangzhou R&F kicks off at 3.30pm on Sunday