Special correspondent Ding Xu reports This Thursday is the 135th "May Day" International Labor Day, and the 10th round of the Chinese Super League will kick off. At the Dalian Barracuda Bay Football Stadium, Dalian InBev Haifa and Yunnan Yukun launched a "promotion derby". Interestingly, Lian Yu and the two teams have been classmates for four years, and they grow together every year, and this year's old rivals and old friends will meet for the first time in the Chinese Super League.

Lian Yu joined hands to compete in the Chinese Super League

Dalian InBev and Yunnan Yukun were both established in 2021 and have only a history of more than three years, but the two teams have changed their names several times.

Dalian InBev's predecessor, Dalian Reading Bank, was established on December 24, 2021, renamed Dalian Zhixing on March 17, 2023, and Dalian InBev on January 26, 2024. On February 20, 2025, Dalian Zhangzidao Marine Development Group became the title sponsor of Dalian InBev, and the team was renamed "Dalian InBev Haifa".

Yunnan Yukun Iron and Steel, the predecessor of Yunnan Yukun, was established on July 27, 2021, renamed Yuxi Yukun Iron and Steel on April 12, 2022, and Yunnan Yukun on February 24, 2023.

Dalian InBev and Yunnan Yukun have only a history of more than three years, but the two teams have coincidentally taken a step from the China Championship, China B and China League to the Chinese Super League in 2025.

In the 2022 season of the Champions League, Yuxi Yukun Steel won the championship, Dalian Reading Bank ranked 4th, and the two teams successfully rushed to the second level together and became a professional team in the true sense. In the 2023 season of the Second League, Dalian Zhixing was promoted as the runner-up, and Yunnan Yukun won the third place and passed the first division. In the 2024 season of the Chinese League, Yunnan Yukun and Dalian InBev will join hands as champions and runners-up.

It's hard to tell the difference between strength and data

After the first 9 rounds of the Chinese Super League this season, Dalian InBev is 1 point ahead of Yunnan Yukun. The two sides not only have similar points, but also do not differ much in various technical statistics.

The offensive ability of both sides is quite average, InBev has only scored 8 goals, an average of less than 1 goal per game, and Yukun has 11 goals, just over double digits. Of InBev's 8 goals, 7 were inside the box and 1 outside the box; 5 goals with the right foot, 3 goals with the header, no goals with the left foot and other parts. Of Yukun's 11 goals, 9 were in the box and 2 were outside the box; 3 balls with the left foot, 5 goals with the right foot, 3 goals with headers.

Comparison of shots on goal: 107 to 96 (Note: InBev in front, Yukun in the back, the same below); Shots on target: 29 to 28; Miss: 47 to 49; Hit the frame: 4 to 3; Chances created: 69 to 66; Penalty kick: 2 to 2; Penalties scored: 1 to 1; Corners: 57 to 33; Dribble: 63-60; Pass success rate: 74% to 72%; Cross success rate: 26% to 23%; Average possession: 47% to 44%. Yukun is the team with the lowest average possession rate in the Chinese Super League.

Statistically, neither team has any players who stand out. Kalanga and Malele scored 3 and 2 goals respectively for InBev, while Enrique, Oscar and Xu Hongjie were the top scorers in Yukun, with three scoring 2 goals each. Among the two teams, there are 4 players who contributed 2 assists, namely Lu Zhuoyi, Enrique, Jonicha and Oscar.

Goals conceded: 12 to 16; Shots on goal: 87 to 136; Penalties awarded: 2 to 2; Both teams have kept two clean sheets. Total steals: 158 to 154, both teams are in the upper middle of the Chinese Super League; Successful steals: 97 to 93; Total interceptions: 80 to 87, both teams are in the upper reaches of the Chinese Super League, and Yukun is ranked first in the league. Total fouls: 121 to 113, both teams are in the middle and lower reaches of the Super League. Total yellow cards: 16 to 12, not many yellow cards for both teams. Total red cards: 2 to 2, the two teams are tied for 4th place in the Chinese Super League. Total offside: 20-24, InBev ranks second in the Chinese Super League, and Yukun is first. Confrontation: 1029 to 1034; Successful confrontation: 509 to 512; Clearance: 258 to 271.

InBev is looking forward to a first victory over Yukun

InBev and Yukun have met four times in the past three years, InBev has 1 draw and 3 losses without a win, and the last three meetings have not only lost all but also failed to score a goal. In the 2023 season, Yukun was forced to draw 1-1 at home by Zhixing in the 16th round, and Zhixing lost 0-1 at home to Yukun in the 20th round. In the 2024 season, InBev lost 0-3 at home to Yukun in the 14th round, and Yukun defeated InBev 2-0 at home in the 29th round.

InBev is a typical "home dragon", unbeaten in 3 home games in the Super League this season with 2 wins and 1 draw, and 7 of the team's 10 points are won at home. Coupled with the last 7 home games in the Chinese League last season, InBev is unbeaten in 10 home games across the season, with a record of 8 wins and 2 draws! It is worth mentioning that the last time InBev lost in Barracuda Bay, the opponent was Yukun! In addition to the first away 4-3 defeat of Shenzhen Xinpeng City in the first away game of this season, Yukun has not tasted victory in the last 4 away games, 2 draws and 2 losses.

At the beginning of this season, four players, Rabuyade, Cao Haiqing, Liu Yi and Zhao Jianan, switched from Yukun to InBev, and Yukun goalkeeper Ma Zhen returned to his hometown Dalian, which was also a highlight of the game. Interestingly, Rabuyad, Cao Haiqing, and Liu Yi all provided assists for Yukun in Barracuda Bay last year. However, at present, except for Moroccan foreign aid Rabuyard, the remaining three domestic players are not able to play the main force for the time being.

In InBev's first three home games of the season, there were 154878 spectators at Barracuda Bay Stadium, with an average of 51,626 people per game. Tickets for the match between InBev and Yukun were opened at noon on April 26, and according to Chen Dong, general manager of InBev Club, all tickets were sold out 18 minutes after the ticket was opened. "In Dalian, going to Barracuda Bay to watch Dalian InBev games on holidays has become a part of people's daily life."

At present, InBev is not injured, and head coach Li Guoxu stressed that the team will summarize the gains and losses of the past two away games and play two home games during the May Day Golden Week.