Johor Bahru: Johor Darul Ta’zim will look to keep their 2019 AFC Champions League campaign alive when the Malaysian champions host China PR’s Shandong Luneng at the Stadium Tan Sri Dato Haji Hassan Yunos on Wednesday.
JDT currently prop up the Group E standings after losing 2-1 away to Shandong on Matchday Three and anything but a victory could see them eliminated from the competition with two games to spare.
But the hosts, who welcome Adam Nor Azlin back from suspension, produced a strong second-half performance in China – with Safawi Rasid scoring a wonderful goal – and go into the game on the back of a 3-1 victory over PKNS at the weekend which kept them top of the Malaysia Super League.
Shandong remain unbeaten in the competition with striker Graziano Pelle, who's first-half penalty ultimately proved decisive in the first meeting between the sides, the competition’s second-highest scorer on five goals.
Since then, however, they have twice lost in the Chinese Super League – including a 2-1 defeat at Guangzhou Evergrande on Friday – and Dai Lin will be absent from the trip to Malaysia as the defender serves a one-match ban.
Source: the-afc.com