On October 3, 2020:00 GMT, in the second round of the 2023/24 AFC Champions League Group G, Chinese Super League giants Shandong Taishan will host Japan's J-League powerhouse Yokohama Mariners at the Jinan Olympic Sports Center Stadium.On the evening of September 26, Shandong Taishan Football Club released a ticket announcement for the event.
In the evening, Shandong Taishan eliminated Dalian Ren 2-0 away from home in the first leg of the 2023 CFA Cup semifinals, breaking into the final with goals from foreigners Pato and Fellaini. After the match, Shandong Taishan released ticket information for the AFC Champions League match against Yokohama Mariners, proving the importance they attached to the match.
This is the first Shandong Taishan home game of the new AFC Champions League season. According to the announcement, tickets for this match, like the Chinese Super League, are divided into four tiers, namely 150, 200, 300 and 500 yuan. Compared to the ticket prices for the upcoming home match against defending Chinese Super League champions Wuhan Sanzhen (100 yuan, 120 yuan, 180 yuan, 400 yuan), the ticket prices for this AFC Champions League debut are significantly higher. This season, there are currently only two other matches in this fare, namely Shandong Taishan hosting Beijing Guoan and Qingdao Hainiu. In terms of attributes, this is a Grade A ticket price and the second game in the Chinese Super League. Tickets are released at :00 ration.
In the first round of this season's AFC Champions League group stage, Shandong Taishan defeated Kaya Philippines 3-1 on the road, making a good start in the "black light" illumination, and just because of one goal less, they are in second place in the Group G table. In this round, they host Yokohama Marinos, aiming for two consecutive wins.
In terms of recent performance, Shandong Taishan, who are fighting on three fronts, have been undefeated for 8 consecutive matches and have maintained a good form. In particular, they are known as the FA Cup champion "professional", after entering the FA Cup final for the sixth consecutive time, the morale has been greatly boosted.
In contrast, in the first round of the AFC Champions League, Yokohama Mariners suffered an unfavorable coaching defeat at home to South Korean K-League powerhouse Incheon United 2-4. However, they then returned to winning ways in the league by beating Kashima Antlers 2-1 away from home. Before going to Jinan to challenge Shandong Taishan, Yokohama Mariners have one more league match to play, also a home match on the night of September 29th. The opponent is Kobe Victory ship.
In terms of league results, regardless of the outcome of Shandong Taishan v Wuhan Sanzhen and Yokohama Mariners v Kobe Victory, both sides were second in their respective league standings prior to this meeting. In other words, the second place in the Chinese Super League will be in direct dialog with the second place in the J-League. This particular backdrop dictates that this battle is not destined to be uneventful.
Of course, both sides are facing intensive fixtures that consume a lot of physical strength, which will test the deployment and on-site command ability of the coaches of both teams. It is worth mentioning that in the just-concluded semi-final of the F.A.C.A. Cup, Shandong Taishan's foreign aid Jade Song dyed red, which led to other players running more, which undoubtedly increased physical exertion and disrupted tactical arrangements. Then, the match with Wuhan Sanzhen is also a fierce battle, which depends on how the team adjusts and chooses.
Another highlight of this match was the Yokohama Mariners lineup's Brazilian goal scorer, Anderson Lopes, who used to play for Wuhan in the Chinese Super League in the 2021 season. Now, he is the top scorer of Yokohama Mariners and has scored 19 goals for the team this season. This time, his performance is worth watching, and Shandong Taishan also need to focus on it.
Can Shandong Taishan make it back-to-back AFC Champions League wins at home this season and their first home win?
