Shandong Taishan and Lion City Sailors will trade tackles in an AFC Champions League matchday three fixture on Thursday.
Taishan come into the game on the back of a demoralizing 5-0 defeat to Urawa Reds on Monday. Alex Scalk stepped off the bench to guide the South Koreans to victory with a second-half brace.
Lion City secured maximum points in a 3-0 victory over Daegu. Song Ui-young, Lopes Diego and Pedro Henrique all found the back of the net in a comfortable victory for their side.
The win helped the Singaporean outfit climb to second spot in the table with three points to show for their efforts in two matches. Shandong Taishan are rooted to the bottom of Group F and are yet to record their first points of the campaign.
Shandong Taishan vs Lion City Sailors Head-to-Head
The two sides squared off in the qualifiers for the 2000-01 AFC Champions League. Shandong Taishan won both legs with a 6-1 aggregate victory.
The Chinese champions have lost both their matches in the competition so far, which ended a 20-game unbeaten run in all competitions. Lion City Sailors have managed four wins from their last five matches.
Shandong Taishan form guide (all competitions): L-L-W-D-D
Lion City Sailors form guide (all competitions): W-L-W-W-W
Shandong Taishan vs Lion City Sailors Team News
Shandong Taishan
Shandong Taishan traveled with a largely second-string squad. Xinghan Wu and Jingdao Jin are unavailable due to injuries.
Injuries: Xinghan Wu, Jingdao Jin
Suspension: None
Lion City Sailors
Saifullah Akbar and Shin-wook Kim are unavailable due to fitness concerns.
Injuries: Saifullah Akbar, Shin-wook Kim
Suspension: None
Shandong Taishan vs Lion City Sailors Predicted XI
Shandong Taishan Predicted XI (5-4-1): Zheng Cao (GK); Jingchun Gao, Yingkai Zhang, Guoyu Lin, Mustapa Tash, Nuo Jin; Yongtao Lu, Zhexuan Chen, Jiaxi Yin, Xianlong Yi; Behram Abdulweli
Lion City Sailors Predicted XI (5-4-1): Hassan Sunny (GK); Iqram Rifqi, Pedro Henrique, Hariss Harun, Amirul Azmi, Tajeli Salamat; Maxime Lestienne, Lopes Diego, Shahdan bin Sulaiman, Faris Ramli; Ui-young Song
Up to $250 Deposit Match at BetRivers/SugarHouse
Shandong Taishan vs Lion City Sailors Prediction
Shandong Taishan's decision to dispute the competition with their youth team has robbed them of useful firepower and experience.
Lion City Sailors are likely to capitalize on this and their experience should see them secure a comfortable victory.
Prediction: Shandong Taishan 0-4 Lion City