I'm sure a lot of people were surprised that Shandong Football Club advanced to the last eight of the AFC Champions League, but they managed to knock out Kawasaki Frontale in the last round, proving that they are a very good team.
Shandong, a soccer club from the Chinese Super League, has many winners, and their free-kick attack is quite dangerous, just like Chatterson's win against Kawasaki Striker, and they pose a threat to counterattacks.
Kilisin is their strongest offensive weapon, and this son scored twice in the visit to Kawasaki Striker, and is now ranked as the top scorer in the AFC Champions League with 8 goals. The Brazilian not only has the touch to score from inside the box, but also has the ability to shoot from long range, so I expect him to be FC Dongshan's most threatening player.
Also, you should keep an eye on Kashashuvili's performance. He's smart and creative and can create chances in boring games, so if he and Kilisin tandem well, he could pose a danger to the Yokohama Mariners.
Yokohama Mariners managed to knock Bangkok United out of the tournament with a bit of luck in the last round. Although they were in control of the game, they needed a 12-yard goal at the end of extra time to advance to the last 8.
I think they need to improve their ability in front of goal, although they had 37 attempts on goal in the last match, only 5 of them were on target, which is definitely not good enough. However, with Anderson Rubes in the front line and Jose Elba in the side, the team has a certain quality of attacking power in the front line.
The Mariners' midfielders are set to play a striking game. Taku Kita and Hirotaka Watanabe will try to control the tempo of the midfield and dismantle FC Dongshan's offense, and it will also be crucial for Nam Tae-hee to accurately pass the ball to his teammates.
Although the Yokohama Mariners doubled up on FC Shandong in the group stage, FC Shandong's performance has improved and with the home fans cheering, I expect the FC Shandong hosts to win today's battle.
