Obagoal ready for action as CSL players test negative

Nigeria international and Shanghai Shenhua returnee striker Obafemi Martins is good to go as they begin season opener against Guangzou Evergrande on Saturday.

Martins who made 40 appearances scoring 19 goals in his first ‘missionary’ sojourn at the club, was recently re-engaged in a €400,000 per week deal replacing compatriot Odion Ighalo who is currently enjoying his extended loan deal at the Old Trafford.

The former Inter Milan, Newcastle, Levante, Wolfsburg, Rubin Kazan and Seattle Sounders forward was handed the No.17 on his second coming

Two matches have been slated for Saturday, Evergrande host visiting Shenhua in the first match while Wuhan Zall take on Qingdao Huanghai in the second match.

The 16-team league has been grouped into Group A and B with eight teams per group.

Meanwhile all Chinese Super League (CSL) players have reportedly tested negative for COVID-19 ahead of Saturday’s kick off.

The campaign is returning after a five-month delay from the scheduled start, state news agency Xinhua reported.

A total of 1,870 individuals from the tournament’s two hubs Suzhou near Shanghai and Dalian in the northeast of China have undergone medical checks

None of them tested positive for the disease that has caused havoc around the world, the report added

Players and officials from the 16 participating teams will be confined to their hotel and parts of the stadiums and tests will be conducted once a week during the tournament, it added.

The CSL was originally scheduled to start on February 22 but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Teams will play a round robin with the top four qualifying for an eight-team ‘championship’ stage and the bottom four from each group going into a ‘relegation’ phase.