Shandong Taishan will look to round off their regular season in grand style when they host Cangzhou Mighty Lions at the Jinan Olympic Sports Center Stadium on Wednesday.
They head into the game needing just one point to secure first place in the Chinese Super League for just the fifth time in their history.
Shandong Taishan continued their hunt for a first-placed finish in the Chinese Super League as they claimed a 3-1 win over Guangzhou City on Sunday.
In a thrilling contest at the Yuexiushan Stadium, Shandong Taishan raced to a two-goal lead through former Manchester United midfielder Marouane Fellaini and Jadson. Guilherme pulled one back for Guangzhou City in the 85th minute.
However, defender Tianyu Qi scored his first goal of the season to restore the visitors’ two-goal lead.
Shangdong Taishan have now picked up four wins from their last four outings and are unbeaten in 18 of their last 19 across all competitions.
This blistering form has seen Hao Wei’s side rise to the top of the Super League table with a three-point cushion on second-placed Guangzhou FC.
Shangdong Taishan need just one point to secure a first-placed finish for the first time since 2010. That would end Guangzhou FC’s two-year dominance.
Meanwhile, Cangzhou Mighty Lions returned to winning ways last time out as they claimed a 2-1 win over Shenzhen.
An own goal from Zhang Yuan and a 46th-minute strike from Zihao Yan put the hosts in a comfortable two-goal lead before Alan Kardec pulled one back for Shenzhen in the 74th minute.
This was just the second league win for Afshin Ghotbi’s men, but it was enough to end their four-game winless run.
With 10 points from 13 games, Cangzhou Mighty Lions are currently 12th in the table, three points above the relegation playoffs zone.
Shandong Taishan vs Cangzhou Mighty Lions Head-To-Head
Shandong Taishan head into the game as the superior side in the history of this fixture, claiming four wins from their last six encounters.
The visitors have managed just one win, while the spoils have been shared once.
Shandong Taishan Form Guide: L-W-W-W-W
Cangzhou Mighty Lions Form Guide: L-D-L-L-W
Shandong Taishan vs Cangzhou Mighty Lions Team News
Shandong Taishan
The hosts remain without midfielder Zhang Chi, who is still sidelined with a fractured leg. There are no suspension concerns for Taishan.
Injured: Zhang Chi
Suspended: None
Cangzhou Mighty Lions
Cangzhou Mighty Lions have a clean bill of health and no suspension worries heading into the game.
Injured: None
Suspended: None
Shandong Taishan vs Cangzhou Mighty Lions Predicted XI
Shandong Taishan Predicted XI (4-3-3): Dalei Wang; Yang Liu, Jadson, Ke Shi, Xiang Ji; Marouane Fellaini, Jun-Ho Son, Xin Xu; Binbin Liu, Pedro Delgado, Liuyu Duan
Cangzhou Mighty Lions Predicted XI (4-3-3): Puliang Shao; Zhiyun Zheng, Yang Liu, Stoppila Sunzu, Abduhamit Abdugheni; Pengfei Xie, Kaimu Zheng, Shihao Piao; Muriqui, Andre Senghor, Taty Maritu
Shandong Taishan vs Cangzhou Mighty Lions Prediction
While Cangzhou Mighty Lions will aim to grab consecutive victories, they take on a Shandong Taishan side who have the third-best home record in the division.
The hosts have enjoyed a stellar campaign so far and we predict they will wrap it up with a win to cap it all off.
Prediction: Shandong Taishan 2-1 Cangzhou Mighty Lions