Changchun Yatai entertain the challenge of Wuhan at the Development Area Stadium on Saturday in round 17 of the 2022 Chinese Super League campaign.
Having both suffered defeat in each of their last two outings either side of the mid-season break, the teams will be keen to get themselves back on track with all three points here.
Match preview
Changchun Yatai fell to a 2-1 defeat against Wuhan Three Towns when the teams went head-to-head at the Changchun Stadium on Tuesday morning.
Chen Yang's men fell behind to Davidson's opener early on before drawing level through Junior Negao 10 minutes into the second half, after which Ademilson struck a late winner.
As a result, the Jilin-based outfit remain 11th in the Chinese Super League table, seven points off the top half albeit with a game in hand.
Next up is the task of facing off against an opposing side who are without a victory in the most recent seven editions of this fixture since November 2007.
Currently on a six-game winless run in front of their fans, Saturday's hosts will need to turn things around on home turf to enjoy a more productive second half of the season.
Wuhan were left red-faced in Tuesday's encounter versus Shenzhen, which ended in a comprehensive 3-0 defeat at the Wuhan Sports Center Stadium.
Yuanyi Li broke the deadlock in the 33rd minute before further goals Yuan Zhang and Zhipeng Jiang put Li Jinyu's men to the sword in a largely one-sided affair.
Having picked up just one point from the last 12 available, the Han Army have dropped to 14th in the league standings but remain well clear of the drop zone.
Off the back of a first away triumph in five matches in their last outing on the road, Saturday's visitors now go in search of consecutive wins on enemy territory for the first time since June.
Team News
With four goals in his last four appearances for Changchun Yatai, the Brazilian Junior Negao is definitely one to keep an eye on here.
Long Tan was on target for the home side the last time Saturday's opponents met, and he will be looking to deliver the goods once again.
Wuhan's Xiaoyi Cao returned to the bench against Shenzhen, but it remains to be seen if the 19-year-old gets handed his first outing of the campaign.
Despite failing to score in four straight games, forward Felicio Brown will be relied upon by the visitors for whom he has netted a third of their 21 goals.
Changchun Yatai possible starting lineup:
Wu; Liao, He, Okore, Rao, Zheng; Tan, Zhang, Serginho, Erik; Negao
Wuhan possible starting lineup:
Wang; Dong, Viana, Li, Ming; Ye, Nie; Zhang, Kajevic, Hu; Brown
We say: Changchun Yatai 2-1 Wuhan
Both teams have been largely underwhelming this term, and all three points here could be the catalyst for a change in fortunes. We expect an open and entertaining affair with the hosts narrowly coming out on top in the end.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Adepoju Marvellous
