Asamoah Gyan loses Shanghai SIPG starting role

Black Stars skipper, Asamoah Gyan is expected to start from the bench when his Shanghai SIPG FC side travel to play Hebei China Fortune at the Qinhuangdao Olympic Sports Center Stadium on Sunday, July 3.

SIPG’s in-form Ivorian striker Jean Evrard Kouassi, 21, is expected to start ahead of the injury-plagued Gyan once again after scoring last time out against Tianjin Teda.

Head coach Sven-Göran Eriksson recently acquired Hulk from Russian club Zenit Saint Petersburg for a Chinese transfer record deal, but it is not immediately known if the Brazilian winger will suit up in this match against Hebei.

Meanwhile, Shanghai SIPG is coming off a 1-1 draw with Tianjin Teda FC in the previous round in a match held at the Shanghai Stadium, via Soccerway.

It was the third consecutive drawn game by the Red Eagles and also their fifth straight winless performance, which dropped them to the fourth spot of the China top flight table after being in the top three during the early weeks of the season.

The predicted result is a 2-1 win for Shanghai SIPG.

Shanghai SIPG starting lineup (4-2-3-1 formation): Yan; Fu, Kim, Wang, Sun; Cai, Yu; Wu, Conca, Elkeson; Kouassi