Middling teams Beijing Guoan FC (6-5-6, 24 points) and Yanbian Funde FC (6-8-4, 22 points) are both coming off spectacular upset wins during the previous round, but they are set to clash with one another in a 2016 Chinese Super League match on July 20, Wednesday at the Worker's Stadium in Beijing.

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Beijing Guoan nipped newly-promoted powerhouse Hebei China Fortune, 1-0, with an own goal from defender Ding Haifeng right at the second minute of the match last Saturday held at the Qinhuangdao Olympic Sports Center Stadium, via Xinhuanet.

Ding accidentally directed Beijing striker Yu Dabao's shot into his own net right at the beginning before the game went scoreless for the rest of the way, handing the Samba Kings their fourth consecutive loss in the season.

It was the Imperial Guards seventh unbeaten game in their last eight matches since manager Alberto Zaccheroni was replaced by head coach Xie Feng, lifting them to the eighth spot of the current league table after being in the bottom half of the standings during the first half of this term.

Meanwhile, Yanbian Funde, also a newly-promoted team, stunned powerhouse squad Jiangsu Suning, 3-0, at their home field of Yanji Nationwide Fitness Centre Stadium also last Saturday, as per CCTV English.

Following a goalless first half, South Korean striker Kim Seung-dae netted the opening goal four minutes after the restart before Gambian midfielder Bubacarr Trawally and substitute winger Akbar Ahmetjan scored a goal each at the 68th and 77th minutes respectively to complete the hosts' three-goal haul.

The win is the second straight for head coach Park Tae-ha's squad and their third in their last four games as they also climbed to ninth place in the overall standings, only two points below Guoan.

Both teams have momentum going into their clash, but with Beijing playing at home and a revitalized frontline now composed of forwards Burak Yilmaz and Igor Sergeev, the capital city squad is favored to win a tight one against last season's China League One winners.

The predicted result is a tough 2-1 decision for Beijing Guoan.

Beijing Guoan starting lineup (4-2-3-1 formation): Yang; Zhou, Lei, Zhao, Zhang X.X.; Ralf, Augusto; Yu, Zhang X.Z., Sergeev; Yilmaz

Yanbian Funde starting lineup (4-1-4-1 formation): Chi W.; Jiang, Cui, Petkovic, Wu; Li; Jin, Pei, Chi Z., Trawally; Kim

TagsChina Football, Chinese Super League, Chinese Super League 2016, beijing guoan fc, Yanbian Funde FC