Shandong Luneng Taishan
- Shandong Luneng Taishan must win their home game to recover lost points from a 6-point deduction for disciplinary penalties.
- Shandong finished their pre-season with a mixed bag of results.
- A 2-9 defeat to Shanghai Shenhua left a lot of question marks about the defensive stability of the squad.
- Coach Su Maozhen’s team will control the ball a lot but will have to be careful of the counter-attacking potential of Liaoning.
Liaoning Tieren
- Liaoning Tieren’s pre-season form has been good and they showed they have the ability to score goals, but they also proved susceptible against better opposition.
- The 5-0 and 2-1 victories over Qingdao Hainiu showed their attacking potential.
Head-to-Head
- This will be the first ever Chinese Super League meeting between the two clubs.
- The promoted side effectively starts with a clean slate against Shandong.
Key Players
- Vako burst onto the scene in 2025 and his contribution is vital to the team as he provides the creativity and goals for his team.
- Cressan is also a good link-up player and his ability to pick his spot means he will be an important element to Shandong’s frontline.
- Takahiro Kunimoto is the key to their play in the center of the field as he orchestrates the attacks and provides the final third with good options.
- Guy Mbenza was in prolific scoring form in 2025 League One and has carried that form into pre-season, he is the most likely source of goals for the newly-promoted team.
Betting Insights
- With the added pressure on Shandong to make up the six-point deficit and Liaoning’s momentum, an upset is plausible.
- The odds of 6.75 for an away win look big and are highlighted as value.
- Other suggested markets: Over 2.5 goals at 1.62 and Both Teams to Score - Yes at 1.7.
Prediction
Given Shandong’s defensive doubts and Liaoning’s attacking threat, an upset is on the cards and an away win is being backed.
