September 8: Beijing Guoan Face Player Absences and Foreign Player Boost Ahead of AFC Champions League Opener

To understand how unusual Beijing Guoan's AFC Champions League opener situation is, start with one player.

Dabao, Guoan's foreign defensive midfielder, was sent off after an incident following a league match against Dalian Yingbo.

With five league rounds remaining, his domestic suspension will continue into future competitions.

On September 15 at 20:15, Guoan will face Pohang Steelers in the AFC Champions League Elite League opener.

He can still play.

The domestic suspension system does not automatically apply to AFC competitions.

A player suspended domestically may therefore appear in the AFC Champions League.

This is Guoan's current situation.

Three domestic starters will miss the match: Zhang Yuning due to national team duty, Cao Yongjing due to AFC suspension, and Bai Yang due to a carry-over ban.

Three domestic absences are replaced by eight foreign players.

The eight players come from eight different countries.

First, why the three players are unavailable.

Zhang Yuning was selected for the Asian Games team.

He cannot join Guoan's final preparations for the AFC match.

Clubs must release players during national team camps.

Zhang Yuning has scored 14 goals and provided six assists this season.

Cao Yongjing received an AFC suspension after last season's continental match incident.

The remaining suspension matches affect the games against Pohang, Buriram United and Jeonbuk Hyundai.

Bai Yang is serving a carry-over suspension from last season's AFC competition.

The suspension remains effective in the new AFC Champions League Elite League.

Bai Yang cannot play against Pohang.

After the bad news comes the good news.

Chinese Super League clubs participating in the AFC Champions League received two additional continental foreign player slots.

Guoan and Shanghai Port used both additional slots.

On July 22, Guoan announced the signings of Jeremy Dudziak and Shadrack Akolo.

Their combined market value was about 1.1 million euros and both signed short-term contracts.

Together with existing foreign players, Guoan's AFC foreign player pool reached eight.

They represent Angola, Brazil, Mali, Portugal, Serbia, France, Germany and DR Congo.

Fans nicknamed them the 'Eight-Nation Allied Forces'.

Some became AFC-only players because of domestic registration and suspension situations.

Dudziak and Akolo have contracts only until the end of the year.

Akolo arrived in Beijing on August 30, while Dudziak joined in late July.

Their time training with the team has been limited.

On September 8, Guoan returned to its training base and held an internal friendly match.

The purpose was partly to help the new signings adapt.

Guoan also has its own advantages.

Against Shanghai Port, Guoan used a 5-4-1 formation and defended effectively.

The team then extended its unbeaten run.

Pohang Steelers are currently in the middle area of the K League standings.

Pohang have attacking issues but have scored a high proportion of goals away from home.

Guoan have faced Pohang twice historically, with one win and one draw.

This will be Montgomery's AFC Champions League debut as Guoan coach.

Guoan will face several Korean and Thai teams during the league phase.

Chinese Super League teams struggled in last season's AFC Champions League Elite League.

Guoan failed to advance from the group stage in last year's AFC Champions League Two.

Several Chinese Super League players were selected by the Asian Games team this year.

Clubs could not retain those players.

Guoan must rely on new foreign signings and the existing squad to fill the gaps.

The result of the September 8 friendly was not the main focus.

The key issue is how many minutes Dudziak and Akolo can contribute.

When the lights come on at Workers' Stadium on September 15, the two new players will immediately face an AFC challenge.

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