Shandong Taishan will host Kawasaki Frontale at the Jinan Olympic Sports Centre on Tuesday in the first leg of their 2023-24 AFC Champions League quarterfinal clash.
The home side performed quite well in their Chinese Super League campaign last year, finishing runner-ups for a second consecutive campaign and will now turn their attention to continental action this week. They were beaten 3-0 by Yokohama F. Marinos in their final group game, narrowly advancing to the knockout stages of the tournament as they pipped Incheon United to second-place in the group standings.
Shandong Taishan are set to make their first appearance in the last 16 of the AFC Champions League since 2019 and will be hoping for a positive outcome on home turf to give themselves the best chance of advancement.
Kawasaki Frontale endured a highly disappointing J League campaign last season and will hope they can find better luck on the continental stage. They played out a 2-2 draw against South Korean outfit Ulsan in their last group game, sitting two goals up at the half-hour mark before their opponents came back to draw level in the second half.
Shandong Taishan vs Kawasaki Frontale Head-to-Head and Key Numbers
- Tuesday’s game will mark the first-ever meeting between Shandong and Kawasaki.
- The hosts have lost their last four competitive games against Japanese opposition by an aggregate scoreline of 14-0.
- The visitors meanwhile have won their last four competitive games against Chinese opposition by an aggregate scoreline of 20-0.
- Shandong are without a clean sheet in their last six games across all competitions.
- Seven of Azzurro Nero’s 12 league defeats in the just-concluded J League campaign came on the road.
Shandong Taishan vs Kawasaki Frontale Prediction
Shandong have lost two of their last three games after going undefeated in their five games prior. They have, however, won all but one of their last eight home matches and will fancy their chances of a positive result this week.
Kawasaki are undefeated in their last 13 games across all competitions, a run stretching back to last October. They are in much better form than their opponents ahead of Tuesday’s clash and should come out on top here.
Prediction: Shandong Taishan 1-3 Kawasaki Frontale
Shandong Taishan vs Kawasaki Frontale Betting Tips
Tip 1 – Result: Kawasaki to win
Tip 2 – Goals – Over/under 2.5 – Over 2.5 goals (Six of the visitors’ last eight matches have produced more than 2.5 goals)
Tip 3 – Both teams to score: YES (Both sides have found the back of the net in four of the hosts’ last six matches)
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