Perennial powerhouse squads Shandong Luneng Taishan FC (2-7-3, 9 points) and Shanghai SIPG FC (6-3-4, 22 points) are on opposite ends of the league table at the moment even as they both struggled to replicate their outstanding performances in the Chinese Super League last season. The two teams will clash at the Jinan Olympic Sports Center Stadium this Sunday, June 19.

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While Shandong Luneng is thriving in the continental tournament, they are struggling in the domestic competitions as the team is presently at the cellar of the 16-team China top flight table.

Taishan Dui is set to compete in the quarterfinals of the AFC Champions League in August, but at the same time they are on a seven-game winless slide locally as they dropped to 16th place in the overall standings.

Newly-named head coach Felix Magath is appointed to turn things around for the reeling giants and their first test will be against the mercurial Red Eagles this weekend.

Shandong dropped a sorry 1-2 defeat to Hebei China Fortune in their last CSL match held at the Qinhuangdao Olympic Sports Center Stadium last Sunday, via Soccerway, prompting former manager Mano Menezes to resign from his post.

Meanwhile, Shanghai SIPG has been inconsistent in their last four matches, winning over Hangzhou in round 10 before going on a three-game winless spell that came with two draws.

Head coach Sven-Göran Eriksson's side is coming off a 1-1 draw with Changchun Yatai on Wednesday at their home field of Shanghai Stadium, via Sofa Score.

Local striker Wu Lei scored the first goal right at the stroke of halftime but an own goal from goalkeeper Yan Junling at the 71st minute gave the visitors the share of a point in the standings.

This match is a high-profile one between two popular teams who are both looking to improve their respective campaigns this season. SIPG is the favorite to win, though, unless former Bundesliga champion coach Magath can do something about it.

The predicted result is a 3-1 rout for Shanghai SIPG.

Shandong Luneng starting lineup (4-2-3-1 formation): Wang D.; Zhao, Wang T., Dai, Zheng; Hao, Jucilei; Wang Y., Montillo, Liu; Yang

Shanghai SIPG starting lineup (4-2-3-1 formation): Yan; Wang, Kim, Shi, Sun; Cai, Yu; Wu, Conca, Kouassi; Elkeson

TagsChina Football, Chinese Super League, Chinese Super League 2016, Shandong Luneng Taishan FC, Shanghai SIPG FC