In their first home game of the season, Guoan approaches the tough battle with a calm mindset.

Special contribution/Song Ci At 3:30 PM on March 21, Beijing Guoan will host their first home match of the 2026 season at the new Workers' Stadium, facing Shanghai Shenhua. For this highly anticipated Beijing-Shanghai clash, the team has completed all preparations this week, maintaining a calm attitude to confront a difficult battle, striving to secure three points at home and break the spell of failing to win in the league's first home game since the new Workers' Stadium opened.

In the previous away match against Shandong Taishan, the Chinese Football Association's post-match referee review confirmed that the referee and VAR missed a handball by Taishan inside the penalty area, which validated the judgment of Guoan players during the game. The players noticed the opponent's handball foul but did not argue excessively with the referee. After the match, the club immediately initiated an appeal process; this action was not aimed at altering the result but to firmly protect the team's legitimate rights. Ultimately, regarding this missed penalty call, Guoan internally remained calm and did not engage in extensive discussion, quickly shifting focus to the upcoming match against Shenhua to ensure preparations proceeded smoothly as planned.

This week, Guoan's preparations proceeded normally. Li Lei has recovered from injury and rejoined team training, likely to return; Hou Sen's injury has significantly improved; Lin Liangming's condition is gradually recovering; the three new foreign players Ramos, Konté, and Nkollo have quickly integrated into the tactical system; the dual striker combination of Fabio and Zhang Yuning is getting better. The coaching staff also clearly recognizes the difficulty of this Beijing-Shanghai showdown. Internally, the team believes Shenhua's winter transfer window was successful, with key reinforcements in the attacking line leading to a qualitative improvement; the individual abilities of foreign players and the richness of the offensive system have significantly strengthened compared to last year. Although Shenhua's Guy is absent due to injury, the forward line led by Laton still possesses strong冲击力, posing a considerable test for Guoan's defense. The team's coaches and players agree that Shenhua's enhanced overall strength makes this match challenging, but regardless of difficulties, the whole team will give their utmost effort, aiming for victory with their strongest competitive form and rewarding fans with a home win.

This first home appearance holds special significance for Guoan. Since the new Workers' Stadium opened in 2023, Guoan has drawn in their first home game for three consecutive years (against Meizhou Hakka, Shanghai Port, and Chengdu Rongcheng). Facing Shenhua this time, the team渴望 to break the spell and achieve their first victory in the new Workers' Stadium era for a home debut. Winning this match would bring Guoan their 250th league victory at home historically and accomplish the 150th Chinese Super League victory at the Workers' Stadium, writing new club history. Forward Zhang Yuning will also pursue a personal record in this match; if he scores, he will become the fourth player in Guoan's history to score in each of the first three league rounds of a season, joining foreign stars like Jelici, Batalla, and Ilmaz.

Before this Beijing-Shanghai clash, Guoan's club actively chose to "cool down" both internally and externally. The club stated internally that this match is undoubtedly a "tough battle," requiring the team to face it with a "calm mindset." The club admitted that objectively, this game presents many challenges: besides Shenhua's significantly strengthened实力 after winter reinforcements, Guoan currently faces considerable injury troubles; the absence of some key players affects squad depth, with Da Wan and Ru Zinan only returning in early April, while Han Jiaqi and He Yupeng have joined training but暂时 cannot play, testing squad depth further.

Both offensive and defensive lineup arrangements face certain limitations, increasing the difficulty of Guoan's home debut this season. Regarding the external hype of the "Chinese Super League national derby" label, the club直言 that fans and media should not overly focus on this topic; the core of football matches终究 lies in on-field tactical较量 and players'临场发挥,过度放大 the match's话题性 could bring unnecessary off-field pressure to the team. Internally, the club要求放下 the burden of last season's home loss to Shenhua,摒弃 "revenge" emotions, focusing on the match itself, handling details well in offense and defense, and adopting pragmatic tactics to counter the opponent's strong attack.

The club stated that each match is independent; past results cannot define the current showdown. Dwelling on previous wins or losses could束缚 players' actions and judgments on the field, affecting normal tactical execution. What the team needs to do is forget past encounters, treat this match as a普通 yet crucial league clash, concentrate all attention on their own tactical performance, execute every detail in offense and defense, and maintain focus and resilience no matter how tough the process.