Chengdu Rongcheng aims for victory in their first-ever AFC Champions League group stage home match!

Reporter Lu Mi reports On the evening of September 30, Chengdu Rongcheng will play their first-ever AFC Champions League group stage home game, with Xu Zhengyuan and his squad fully committed to winning on home ground.

On September 25, Xu Zhengyuan was honored as the Chinese Super League’s Best Coach for August. In that month, he guided the team through the most challenging schedule of the season, playing seven matches in a short span. Despite ups and downs, the team reached the top of the league and successfully qualified for the AFC Champions League group stage.

During the intense August fixtures, Xu Zhengyuan demonstrated excellent tactical leadership, and the players showed strong resilience, especially in the crucial match against Shanghai Port. Despite physical fatigue and injuries, Xu’s smart tactical adjustments and substitutions brought out the players’ full potential, leading to a commanding 4-1 victory over Port and completing a season double over this tough opponent.

Xu Zhengyuan emphasizes the team philosophy of “individuals are small, but the group is invincible,” demanding strict tactical discipline and unity in both offense and defense. Chengdu Rongcheng’s success this season is no accident; it reflects a perfect blend of overall team strength, tactical system, player form, and coaching guidance. The resilience and adaptability shown during the dense August schedule highlight the team’s maturity and potential. Although recently losing the top spot due to a draw with Zhejiang, with four rounds remaining, Rongcheng still holds championship hopes, and the players have never given up on pursuing the title.

With the Chinese Super League entering a break, Chengdu Rongcheng, after three consecutive away matches and half a month on the road, finally returns to Chengdu for a brief rest. On the evening of the 30th, they will kick off their first-ever AFC Champions League group stage home match against Gangwon FC.

Although the team is mentally and physically exhausted from continuous away games, and according to Xu Zhengyuan, several key players have varying degrees of injuries—especially after the intense match against Zhejiang, where many players suffered cramps and Timo played the entire game while injured—Xu still plans to field the full-strength squad, aiming to leverage home advantage for a win.

Gangwon FC currently ranks sixth in the K League with 41 points, just one point above the relegation group. Their next match is an away game against Anyang FC. To minimize injury risks, they will likely maintain a semi-rotated lineup in the AFC Champions League, which may reduce their attacking and defensive efficiency.

Facing Gangwon FC, who have won only one of their last three away games, Xu Zhengyuan is likely to abandon a cautious rotation strategy from the first round and instead apply proactive pressure with a 3-4-3 formation, utilizing Romulo’s midfield orchestration and Goulfenkel’s wing runs to create scoring chances. Although Wei Shihao is expected to be out for about a month, Xu still has plenty of player options to choose from.

This marks the first time Chengdu Rongcheng will play an AFC Champions League group stage match in front of their home fans, and the team aims to deliver an exciting football spectacle. As the season approaches its conclusion, Chengdu Rongcheng still has a chance to make history by competing for the Chinese Super League title and achieving their best-ever AFC Champions League performance. While continuing to improve, the team also needs the support of their fans to overcome challenges and come closer to their dreams.