Dragan Stojkovic’s Guangzhou R&F out ‘to bring more trouble’ for Evergrande in derby
Cross-town rivals meet at Tianhe Stadium on Saturday, with the six-time defending Chinese Super League champions out to end the visitors’ 100 per cent record
Coach Dragan Stojkovic wants Chinese Super League high-flyers Guangzhou R&F “to bring more trouble” for defending champions and cross-town rivals Guangzhou Evergrande in Saturday’s eagerly-anticipated derby.
Evergrande have won the last six Super League titles, but heading into the fourth round of fixtures this weekend, Luiz Felipe Scolari’s side are not even the leading side in Guangzhou with R&F boasting a 100 per cent record after three games.
Scolari’s side are just three points worse off after bouncing back from their defeat by Shandong Luneng prior to the international break with a 3-2 win over Shanghai SIPG last weekend, but face another tough test at Tianhe Stadium.
“There are many differences between Evergrande and our team,” said Serbian coach Stojkovic, who joined R&F in August 2015 after eight seasons in Japan with Nagoya Grampus.
“They are a very strong team and they are also very rich, but one thing is for sure is that is we don’t want to give up. We won’t play defensive football, instead we will play very openly and offensively.