Shanghai SIPG striker Hulk, the Chinese Super League's record signing, remains sidelined with a knee injury despite hopes that he would be fit for this weekend's meeting with Yanbian Funde.
The €55.8 million signing from Zenit St Petersburg has played just once since moving to China, when he was stretchered off with an injury to his left knee during the 5-0 win over Henan Jianye, and Shanghai SIPG coach Sven Goran Eriksson believed he could be ready for Saturday afternoon's game.
But the 30-year-old Brazil international has not been included in the squad that travelled to Yanji as Shanghai SIPG continue their battle for one of the three places in next year's Asian Champions League with city rivals Shanghai Shenhua and second placed Jiangsu Suning.
"Both Dario Conca and Hulk are trying very hard to recover from their injuries," Eriksson said earlier in the week. "They will definitely make it for the Asian Champions League knockout stage and they could even join the Chinese Super League game on Aug. 13. Everything now is going in a positive direction."
Conca, who won the Chinese Super League with Guangzhou Evergrande in 2012 and 2013 and the Asian Champions League title in 2013, has travelled with the rest of the squad but is not guaranteed to start.
Shanghai SIPG are currently fourth in the Chinese Super League standings, 15 points adrift of leaders Guangzhou Evergrande but only four points behind Jiangsu and level on points with Shanghai Shenhua with nine games remaining.
Eriksson's team will take on South Korea's Jeonbuk Motors in the continental championship, with the first leg to be held in China on Aug. 23 and the return three weeks later.
Shanghai SIPG are appearing in the quarterfinals of the competition for the first time in their history.
"Our season target is to have a good position in the Chinese Super League and qualify for next season's Asian Champions League," Eriksson added. "So we have to end up in the top three this season.
"In addition, we have two Asian Champions League quarterfinal matches ahead of us. So it is not easy. Now our priority is to recover our injured players as soon as possible to help the team both domestically and internationally."