Guangzhou Evergrande vs Shandong Luneng 18/06/19

18 June 2019

Two Chinese heavyweights will battle it out for a place in the AFC Champions League quarter-finals, as Guangzhou Evergrande welcome Shandong Luneng to the Tianhe Stadium for the first leg of their last-16 tie.

Three wins in as many home games during the group stage have actually propelled the hosts to the knockout phase, considering they’ve struggled to wrap up three points on all three road trips in the competition (D1, L2). Notably, all three of Guangzhou’s AFC triumphs this campaign have seen them beat their rivals to nil while netting seven goals in the process. Also, the South China Tigers have found a purple patch of form, having pulled off six straight triumphs ahead of this clash. Four of those wins have been accompanied by a clean sheet, with Fabio Cannavaro’s men bagging 2+ match goals four times too.

Meanwhile, the visitors have finished top of their respective group in spite of the fact they’ve managed to secure just one win in three AFC Champions League away fixtures (W1, D1, L1). A 1-0 road win over Johor aside, both of their remaining away games in the competition have seen both teams score and produce over 2.5 goals. The Taishan Dui’s indifferent road form could worry the traveling side, considering they’ve struggled to put together two consecutive wins away from home for over a year. Still, Shandong’s recent road games have witnessed some action, with five of their last seven away fixtures seeing both teams score, while four of them featured over 2.5 goals.