Shanghai Shenhua are set to square up against under-fire Dalian Pro on Monday at the Jinzhou Stadium, aiming to build on their bright start to the season after having succumbed to a defeat early on.
The Shanghai-based outfit lost to contenders Guangzhou Evergrande in their season curtain-raiser by 2-0, but have bounced back with two consecutive wins against Shenzhen FC and Shangdong Luneng.
Currently pitted fourth with six points from three matches, Shenhua can leapfrog third-placed Luneng should they claim their third successive win tomorrow.
Meanwhile, Dalian Pro have struggled to come away with a victory this season, having collected just one point thus far. That also, came against fellow strugglers Henan Jianye.
They are clearly a team short of confidence on their travels, as underpinned by their poor record against Shenhua away from home. The latter have won each of their previous three home fixtures against Dalian Pro.
It'll be a test for Dalian, as they have the tendency to switch off at key moments. Such errors are sure to be punished against Shenhua, who have in fact, ousted Dalian Pro by narrow margins in their previous outings.
On that note, we analyse all you need to know ahead of Shanghai Shenhua's Chinese Super League match-up versus Dalian Pro.
Shanghai Shenhua v Dalian Pro: Head-to-head
Shanghai Shenhua wins: 5
Dalian Pro wins: 3
Draws: 3
Shanghai Shenhua v Dalian Pro: Form Guide
Last five matches (in all competitions)
Shanghai Shenhua: W-W-L-W-W
Dalian Pro: L-D-L-D-L
Shanghai Shenhua v Dalian Pro: Team News
Shanghai Shenhua
It's more good news as far as Shanghai Shenhua's injury list is concerned, as they head into this game with a fully fit squad.
Stephane Mbia and Bi Jinhao are both completely fit to last the entirety of the 90 minutes, which undoubtedly imbibes different dimensions to their setup.
Injuries: None
Doubtful: None
Suspensions: None
Dalian Pro
While the return of Marcus Danielson from suspension hands the visitors a huge boost ahead of this tough outing, Dalian Pro are still without a few key members from the squad.
Former Levante forward Emmanuel Boateng, who became the first Ghanaian footballer to score against both Barcelona and Real Madrid in the same season a couple of years ago, is ruled out.
The game comes too soon for the likes of Lin Liangming and Huanhuan Shan as well.
Injuries: Emmanuel Boateng, Lin Liangming, Huanhuan Shan
Doubtful: None
Suspensions: None
Shanghai Shenhua v Dalian Pro: Probable XI
Shanghai Shenhua predicted XI (4-4-2): Zeng Cheng; Wen Jiabao, Zhu Chenjie, Feng Xiaoting, Zhao Mingjian; Cao Yunding, Peng Xinli, Qian Jiegei, Giovanni Moreno; Stephan El Shaarawy, Shin Wook Kim
Dalian Pro predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Zhang Chong; Tong Lei, Dong Yanfeng, Marcus Danielson, Li Shuai; Marek Hamsik, Wu Wei; He Yupeng, Sam Larsson, Sun Guowen; Salomon Rondon
Shanghai Shenhua v Dalian Pro: Match Prediction
Dalian Pro will have to play out of their skin if they are to salvage anything significant from this game, which looks highly unlikely against a fluent front four of Shanghai Shenhua.
Salomon Rondon is a real threat for the hosts, though. However, we think that even he will not be able to guide his side to their first victory of the season.
Predicted score: Shanghai Shenhua 2-1 Dalian Pro