Humid season plus rotation period, many CSL teams aim for the FA Cup.

Reporter Chen Yong reports. After Shandong Taishan lost 1-3 to Dalian Yingbo, some fans questioned why the coaching staff did not start Mai Wulang. In fact, looking at Taishan's schedule and Mai Wulang's recent appearances, it is easy to understand the coaching staff's decision: on the 21st, Taishan will play in the FA Cup round of 16, and on the 26th, they have a CSL match. As for Mai Wulang, he played almost the entire match in the previous four games, so minor rotations were a normal choice. In this match, Taishan also did not risk starting the recovered Cresan.

Similarly, league leaders Chengdu Rongcheng have drawn three consecutive matches. In this round, they also rotated: only winger Silva and center-back Sorokin started as foreign players. The other two foreign players, Felipe came on at the start of the second half, and Romulo came off the bench at the 58th minute. They had some injuries and needed to be protected through rotation.

The heat continues, and rainfall has increased. On the day of the CSL 19th round match involving Shandong Taishan, the weather turned from hot to humid, which is actually more unfavorable for football matches. With the FA Cup round of 16 coming up midweek, and teams playing three matches from this weekend to next weekend, rotation has become a choice for many teams. More importantly, several CSL teams have shifted their primary focus to the FA Cup.

The reason Shandong Taishan and Chengdu Rongcheng made considerable rotations in this round is that they had normal league matches last week, which put more physical strain on the teams.

In contrast, teams like Beijing Guoan, Shanghai Shenhua, and Shanghai Port had their matches postponed last week due to weather, giving them a chance to rest. Their physical condition was clearly better. Among them, Shanghai Shenhua and Shanghai Port fielded their strongest lineups in this round, but unfortunately both failed to win: Shanghai Shenhua lost 0-2 at home to Tianjin Jinmen Tiger, and Shanghai Port drew 2-2 away against Yunnan Yukun. Beijing Guoan also played their strongest lineup against Liaoning Tieren, but substituted Zhang Yuning and N'Kololo at the 63rd minute, even though the score was 1-1.

Zhejiang Greentown had no FA Cup match next week, but they played a rescheduled match last Tuesday, so their players' fitness was naturally not optimistic. In this match, Mitritsa, Park Jin-seop, and Lucas started, while Tolic and Cardoso came off the bench. Mitritsa was substituted in the 80th minute, and local star Wang Yudong was substituted in the 70th minute. It was precisely because of these consecutive substitutions that Zhejiang Greentown had some chaos in both attack and defense. Just one minute after Mitritsa left the field, Chongqing Tonglianglong equalized.

The FA Cup round of 16 matches will be played midweek. It is likely that, except for Qingdao Hainiu and Wuhan Three Towns who are in the relegation zone, all other CSL teams will go all out. Chengdu Rongcheng, despite three consecutive draws, still holds a very large lead in the league, so a double crown is naturally their goal. For Shanghai Port, Shanghai Shenhua, Shandong Taishan, and Beijing Guoan, they will naturally strive for the FA Cup title. Other CSL teams without relegation worries will also give their best in the FA Cup. This includes Henan Caituofang, who were ranked fourth from bottom before this round but greatly reduced their relegation risk after a big win over Qingdao Hainiu, giving them the energy and morale to do well in the FA Cup. They were also last year's FA Cup runners-up. As for the China Champions League and China League Two teams, they undoubtedly hope to go as far as possible.

Qingdao Hainiu is the team with the most congested schedule recently: on the 14th, they played away against Zhejiang Greentown in the league; on the 17th, away against Henan Caituofang; on the 21st, away against Shanghai Shenhua in the FA Cup; and on the 25th, home against Tianjin Jinmen Tiger in the league. That's four matches in 12 days, with only two or three days between games. After being defeated by a last-minute goal from Zhejiang Greentown, Qingdao Hainiu was forced to rotate for the match against Henan Caituofang, starting substitutes like Liu Xinyu and Yang Cong, and eventually lost 1-5.

Hainiu's difficulties extend beyond the schedule to include foreign player suspensions and injuries. Ye Boya will continue to miss the match against Tianjin Jinmen Tiger. New foreign player Tufegdzic suffered a right acromioclavicular joint dislocation after just one match and is expected to be sidelined for over a month. In this situation, although Ye Boya can play in the FA Cup match against Shanghai Shenhua, most of Qingdao Hainiu's key players must rest. It is likely that Ye Boya will lead a group of Qingdao Hainiu's substitutes in the FA Cup match.

Wuhan Three Towns are currently at the bottom of the table, but after defeating Shenzhen Xinpengcheng, they see hope for survival. They have the same points as Tianjin Jinmen Tiger, and both teams are only three points behind Qingdao Hainiu with one game in hand. Since the light of relegation survival has appeared, they will go all out in this weekend's match against Chongqing Tonglianglong. As for Tuesday's FA Cup match, even though they are playing at home, Wuhan Three Towns will likely not field their strongest lineup, especially since Shao'er, Kadis, and Bevis all played the full 90 minutes in last weekend's league match. Rotation is inevitable.