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AFC Champions League Blockbuster: Shandong Taishan vs. Central Coast Mariners, China v Australia!
The cauldron of Asian club football is set to erupt on September 17th as Chinese powerhouse Shandong Taishan FC host Australian underdogs Central Coast Mariners in a mouthwatering Group F opener. Lunexit Stadium in Jinan will bear witness to a tantalizing clash of styles and ambitions in this highly anticipated ACL Elite League Stage contest.
Shandong come into this as overwhelming favorites, boasting a star-studded squad stacked with serial winners. Their formidable home record is daunting—they’ve lost just twice at Lunexit in their last 32 outings. By contrast, the Mariners have struggled for consistency this season and travel to Jinan as definite underdogs.
All eyes will be on Shandong’s talismanic striker, Papiss Cisse. The Senegalese hitman has been in scintillating form, netting 11 goals in his last 6 games. However, the Mariners’ defensive rock Kye Rowles will be determined to shackle the prolific marksman. An intriguing tactical battle is on the cards.
For the visitors, their hopes will likely hinge on the creative spark of diminutive playmaker Marco Ureña. The Costa Rican maverick has the craft to unlock even the most resolute defenses on his day. Can he conjure up some ACL magic?
Shandong are motoring ominously, having demolished Shanghai Port 5-0 in ruthless fashion last weekend. Not to be outdone, the Mariners edged out the Newcastle Jets 2-1 in a pulsating A-League classic to seal this ACL berth.
“We’re under no illusions about the enormity of the task ahead,” admitted Mariners boss Nick Montgomery. “But we’ve got some quality players who can cause any team problems on their day. If we stick to our gameplan, who knows?”
The implied suggestion is that Montgomery’s relative minnows could pull off an almighty ‘Mariners Miracle’ in Jinan. While unlikely, one can’t completely discount maritime miracles on the evidence of their fairytale run to the ACL knockouts in 2014
Despite the underdogs’ quiet self-belief, logic points to a home win for the starstudded Shandong. Cisse and co. should have too much firepower, though the Mariners’ never-say-die spirit could make for a closer contest than many envisage. I’m going for a narrow but entertaining 3-2 Shandong victory.
There you have it, folks—all the ingredients for an absolute humdinger to kick off the ACL group stages! We’ll be clinging to the edge of our socially- distant sofas in anticipation. Just hopefully it won’t leave us too ‘yellow-bellied’ and seasick. Did I really just stoop to a maritime pun? Shameless, even for me…
