On Saturday afternoon, Tianjin Teda host Shandong Luneng at the Tianjin Olympic Center Stadium, as visitors look to enhance their hopes of a Champions League spot for next season.
Shandong Luneng are currently fourth place in the table, nine points off the top-three and the AFC Champions League spots.
The visitors are currently eighth place in the table but are closer to the relegation zone than the spots for the Champions League. In fact, they are just seven points clear of the drop zone. However, a victory in this clash would move them within three points of the away side.
One win in seven league games has made it look unlikely that Tianjin will challenge for a top-three finish this season. It would be a major surprise if the home side managed to force their way in contention for those Champions League spots.
A record of just three wins in their last 13 home matches stretching back to last season is not a great one. Their recent matches on home soil in the Chinese top-flight have been low-scoring encounters, with under 2.5 goals scored in four of their last five matches.
The recent history of this fixture does not bode well for the home side, as they have lost five of their last six meetings with the visitors. Shandong Luneng have also been prolific in the games against the home side, scoring at least twice in the last nine meetings.
Shandong Luneng are unbeaten in their last four matches in the Chinese Super League, having drawn their last two matches with Jiangsu Suning and Chongqing Lifan.
The visitors have not been great on the road in the Chinese top-flight, as a record of two away wins in eight outings illustrates.
However, Forebet predicts that Shandong will improve that poor recent away record by winning this clash in a high-scoring encounter.