Shandong Luneng striker Diego Tardelli. (Photo : Getty Images)
Chinese Super League squad Shandong Luneng Taishan FC is set to square off with A-League club Sydney FC at the Jinan Olympic Sports Center Stadium on Wednesday, May 18 as the two teams kick off with the first leg of their 2016 AFC Champions League knockout stage series.
Shandong advanced in the final stages by finishing second to South Korea's FC Seoul in Group F competitions while Sydney FC topped Group H with a one-point advantage over J. League Division 1 squad Urawa Red Diamonds in the group standings.
Taishan Dui is coming off a 0-0 draw with Thai League champions Buriram United at the New I-Mobile Stadium in Buriram, Thailand on May 4, during their last fixture in the group stage of the said tournament, Fox Sports Asia reported.
Head coach Mano Menezes rested all of his international players in the said match as his purely local squad settled for the goalless tie on the road with the Thunder Castles.
Even if Shandong won the match and went up tied with Seoul in the final group stage table, they would still place runner-up to the South Koreans as the K League Classic team has the superior goal difference between the two and they also have the advantage in head-to-head matches.
Meanwhile, Sydney FC fell to the dethroned and eliminated defending champions Guangzhou Evergrande, 0-1, at the Tianhe Stadium on May 3, which was the team's last game before heading into the knockout round, via Goal.
Chinese striker Gao Lin provided the lone goal of the contest for the Southern China Tigers, who failed to advance out of the group stage because of their early losses and mediocre performances in the tourney.
Even with the loss, Sydney still gained the top spot in Group H, only a point ahead of runner-up team, the Urawa Red Diamonds.
The Sky Blues are the favorites to advance in the quarterfinals, but Shandong can give them a scare in this first leg match in Jinan.
The predicted result is a tough 1-0 win for Shandong Luneng.
Shandong Luneng starting lineup (5-4-1 formation): Han Rongze; Qi, Li, Dai, Gil, Chen; Zhang, Jucilei, Montillo, Liu; Tardelli
Sydney FC starting lineup (4-3-2-1 formation): Janjetovic; Grant, Anderson, Calver, Woodcock; O'Neill, Dimitrijevic; Hoole, Ninkovic, Naumoff; Smeltz
