Reported by AP, Guangzhou Evergrande head coach Luiz Felipe Scolari believed the Chinese Super League side could maintain their dominating momentum at both domestic and regional level without their marquee player Paulinho.
“We will miss Paulinho,” Scolari said, adding that he hadn’t settled on a lineup. “After Paulinho’s departure and Huang Bowen’s injury our midfield faces challenges.”
Scolari is close to leading the club to a seventh successive Chinese Super League title. On Saturday, Guangzhou moved eight points clear of second-place Shanghai with just seven games remaining after the match against Shanghai Shenhua.
After making the move to China in 2015, the 29-year-old midfielder helped Guangzhou Evergrande to back-to-back league titles in 2015 and 2016, as well as an AFC Champions League trophy in 2015.