BEI vs SHD Fantasy Preview:
In the return leg fixture of an enthralling quarter-final, Beijing Guoan will be crossing swords with a soaring Shangdong Luneng. The match is to be convened at Suzhou City Stadium. The first-leg fixture between these two sides fizzled out to a 2-2 impasse. Beijing have savoured a superior form throughout the tournament and finished in the second place in Group B. They have only lost two of their fixtures and will definitely be the favourite to win this contest.
Shangdong Luneng will be taking a wary approach in the second-leg fixture as they squandered a two-goal lead only to wait until Thursday in order to secure advancement to the next round. Shandong finished in the third position of Group A of the Chinese Super League.
Shangdong Luneng relished a good run before walking into this encounter as they savoured three victories on the trot that saw them thumping the likes of Henan Jianye, Shenzen FC and Dalian Pro. However, their chariot came to a screeching halt against Guangzhou as they shared the spoils in a goalless affair. In the last three encounters of Beijing, they relished two victories that saw them demolishing Qingdao Hunaghai and Shijiazhuang. However, they slumped to Shanghai East Asia by a solitary goal. This will be an absolute crackerjack of a game for the knock-outs. These are our fantasy picks for tomorrow.
Match details:
Beijing Guoan vs Shandong Luneng
5:05 PM IST
BEI vs SHD: Head to head
Shangdong Luneng has held sway in the head to head encounters of these two sides as they have managed to secure 10 victories out of 16 games. Beijing, on the contrary, has only managed six victories and will be hell-bent to make this their seventh.
The latest fixture between these two sides saw an exciting 2-2 affair that entertained everyone. Shangdong Luneng dictated proceedings in the first half while Beijing’s improbable resurgence in the second half left the game in a state of stand-off.
BEI vs SHD: Probable Teams:
Beijing Guoan:
Hou Sen; Li Lei, Yu Yang, Min-Jae Kim, Wang Gang; Chi Zhongguo, Fernando, Renato Augusto; Jonathan Viera; Zhang Yuning, Cedric Bakambu
Shangdong Luneng
Rongze Han; Song Long, Tamas Kadar, Dai Lin, Wang Tong; Marouane Fellaini, Wu Xinghan, Jin Jingdao, Moises; Duan Liuyu; Graziano Pelle
Picks to consider:
Cedric Bakambu packed a powerful punch in the preceding game that saw them Beijing coming back strongly in the game in the second half, He will be a big man to watch out for, considering his goal-scoring instincts.
Marouane Fellaini has always been a big-match player from his days at Manchester United and Everton. His towering presence in the midfield can create some serious trouble for Beijing.
Captaincy Choices:
2. Renato Augusto
Match Prediction – Who will win today?
It is a tough nut to crack as both the teams have been in dominant form throughout the fray. Ideally, the game may head to tie-breaker that will need the best from their custodians. Going by the antiquity of the fixture, Shangdong Luneng must come out victorious.
