Heading to Australia, Guoan will no longer hold back

Special contributor / Song Ci According to the plan, the Guoan team will take a direct flight from Capital Airport to Sydney, Australia, in the early morning of September 30, preparing for the second group stage match of the AFC Champions League 2 on October 2. They will face Macarthur FC on the road. It is understood that Guoan will field their strongest lineup in this match, aiming to secure 3 points. The club demands full effort to perform well in the AFC Champions League.

The four Chinese Super League teams participating in Asian competitions played the 26th round matches on the 26th. Beijing Guoan won 4-2 at home against Dalian Yifang. The attendance for this game was only 36,817, marking the lowest attendance rate for a CSL match at Workers' Stadium this season. Previously, Guoan's three consecutive league defeats frustrated fans, who chose to "vote with their feet."

In the previous home match of the AFC Champions League 2, attendance was even lower, with fewer than 20,000 fans present. To prepare for the CSL match against Shanghai Port, Guoan rotated their squad, which led to being dominated at times by Hanoi Police from Vietnam. The crowd even booed, a rare occurrence at Workers' Stadium to direct such disapproval at the home team.

In the league match against Dalian Yifang, Guoan secured a 4-2 victory thanks to Fabio's hat-trick and Serginho's goal, halting their decline. The crowd applauded Guoan after the game, but the players know the fans remain somewhat dissatisfied. Captain Zhang Xizhe clearly stated, "We want to win back the fans with our actions and results."

On October 2, Guoan will play away against Australia's Macarthur FC in the AFC Champions League 2. Over 300 fans registered through the club to cheer on Guoan at the stadium, half of whom are traveling from China specifically for this match. The game falls during a holiday period, and round-trip tickets to Australia cost over ten thousand yuan, making this away trip a significant expense. "After four years, Guoan is back in Asian competition, and this is the first away game. Regardless of the team's performance, we want the players to hear Beijing fans' cheers abroad, and we hope the team gives their all so as not to disappoint again," the fans said.

The day after the match against Dalian Yifang was also head coach Setién’s 67th birthday. Although some fans have expressed dissatisfaction with his leadership at Guoan, many still sent birthday wishes, hoping he can lead the team well in the upcoming matches.

Having been in professional football for many years, Setién is well aware of the precariousness of his position. Despite contractual protections, he knows that being dismissed due to poor results would significantly impact his career and is far from honorable. The seasoned coach is now clear-headed, no longer dreaming of winning the CSL title but focusing on performing well in the AFC Champions League 2 and the FA Cup.

After the match against Dalian Yifang, Setién gave the team a day off before regrouping to prepare for the AFC Champions League 2. When finalizing the squad traveling to Australia, Setién told the players that although the trip is exhausting, everyone must go unless seriously injured. After consulting with the medical team, only foreign player Gu Jia will stay back for treatment due to injury; all other players will travel to the away game.

In the first AFC Champions League 2 match, to preserve strength for the tough CSL battle against Shanghai Port, Setién rotated most of the starters, with some key players not even on the bench, resulting in only a draw with Hanoi Police from Vietnam. For this away match against Macarthur FC, Guoan decided to send their strongest lineup to compete.

In previous Asian competitions, Guoan has had decent results against Australian teams. The last time they faced an A-League team was in the 2020 AFC Champions League, where they won both group stage matches against Melbourne City.

The club has issued a directive that from now until the season's end, every match must be played well, especially on the Asian stage, which concerns the reputation of Chinese football. The management explained that the previous AFC match saw squad rotation due to a congested schedule with dual competitions. Now, with the CSL entering a break and the next domestic match not until October 17, there is enough time to recover after the Australia away game. Therefore, the strongest available squad must be sent to try to advance further in the AFC Champions League 2.

As a regular participant in Asian competitions, Guoan always ensures thorough support for away matches. The club’s advance team flew to Sydney on September 28 to prepare logistics, including accommodation, meals, and transportation, as well as fan reception arrangements.

Guoan is fairly familiar with Australia, having previously played away matches in Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane. However, this time they will experience a new stadium: Macarthur FC's home ground, Campbelltown Stadium, located several dozen kilometers from Sydney. This stadium hosted the Chinese national team’s Asian Cup preparations in 2015, but at that time, Guoan only had Zhang Chengdong, now transferred, in the national squad. The club conducted prior inspections of the stadium’s surroundings, including hotel accommodations and meal services, and arranged the routes from the airport to the hotel and from the hotel to the stadium.

To ensure smooth logistics for this away trip, the club dispatched two experienced managers to lead the advance team. Since there are no daily direct flights from Beijing to Sydney, the advance team had to transfer flights and spent 16 hours traveling. However, on September 30 early morning, Air China will operate a direct flight from Capital Airport to Sydney, making the players’ journey less strenuous.

According to the plan, after finishing the Australia away game, the league will enter a break. The team will return to Beijing collectively and will not have a long vacation, quickly regrouping to prepare for upcoming matches.