Guangzhou Evergrande v Shandong Luneng: betting preview, tip & TV details

1pm Tuesday

Chinese rivals Guangzhou Evergrande and Shandong Luneng clash in the first leg of their AFC Champions League last-16 tie and star striker Graziano Pelle can give the visitors a valuable away goal.

Back-to-back draws have seen Shandong slip nine points behind Guangzhou in the Chinese Super League but Li Xiopeng’s side have saved their best football for the Champions League.

They qualified for the knockout stages with a game to spare, finishing top of a group featuring reigning champions Kashima Antlers.

Guangzhou, the 2013 and 2015 champions, needed a win against Korean side Daegu in their final group game to progress and they will be wary of the fact that they have been eliminated by fellow Chinese sides in the knockout stages in each of the last two years.

They are a formidable force at home, however, tasting defeat in only one of their 12 matches in all competitions this season.

There wasn’t much between the sides when they clashed in Guangzhou earlier in the season when Brazilian striker Talisca scored in the fifth minute of stoppage time to give the hosts a 2-1 win.

Former Southampton man Pelle struck for the visitors in that game and the Italy international has been in red-hot form, bagging 11 goals in 12 domestic games for Shandong and seven more in six Champions League matches.

He has registered the first goal in nine of those games and forms part of an attacking unit, along with Marouane Fellaini, who will fancy their chances of taking at least one away goal back to the Jinan Olympic Stadium.

Recommendation
G Pelle first goalscorer
1pt each-way 11-2 bet365, RedZone

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