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Urawa Reds square off against Shandong Taishan at the Buriram Stadium in their second group stage fixture of the AFC Champions League on Monday.
The Reds kicked off their campaign with a convincing 4-1 win over the Lion City Sailors. Shandong Taishan were thrashed 7-0 by Daegu in the campaign opener and will be looking to put in a better performance here.
The Japanese club have been undefeated in their last four league games but their last three games have ended in draws. Shandong Taishan kick off their title defense in the Chinese Super League later this month and have sent a squad mostly made up of reserve players for the group stage fixtures in this competition.
Urawa Reds vs Shandong Taishan Head-to-Head
This will be just the second time the two sides have gone head-to-head in a competitive fixture. They met in the erstwhile A3 Champions Cup in 2007. Shandong Taishan secured a 4-3 win in that fixture.
Urawa Reds form guide (all competitions): W-D-D-D-W
Shandong Taishan form guide (all competitions): L-W-D-D-D
Urawa Reds vs Shandong Taishan Team News
Urawa Reds
Tomoya Inukai is a long-term absentee for the J1 League side after suffering a knee injury last week. There were no other reported injuries for the Reds ahead of the game.
Injury: Tomoya Inukai
Doubtful: None
Suspension: None
Shandong Taishan
There are no reported injuries for the Chinese Super League winners impacting the game. A 30-man squad comprising only Chinese players has been sent for the group stage fixtures.
Injury: None
Doubtful: None
Suspension: None
Urawa Reds vs Shandong Taishan Predicted XI
Urawa Red Diamonds Predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Shushaku Nishikawa (GK); Takuya Iwanami, Alexander Scholz, Kazuaki Mawatari, Hiroki Sakai; Atsuki Ito, Kai Shibato; Yoshio Koizumi, Ataru Esaka, Kai Matsuzaki; Kasper Junker
Shandong Taishan Predicted XI (4-3-3): Zheng Cao (GK); Nuo Jin, Ruiqi Yang, Lin Guoyu, Linrui Xiong; Chunze Deng, Yi Xianlong, Zhexuan Chen; Yongtao Lu, Hongda Lu, Abuduwaili Baihelamu
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Urawa Reds vs Shandong Taishan Prediction
The cards seem to be stacked against Shandong Taishan as they take on Urawa Reds with a fairly inexperienced side. The Japanese club, on the other hand, have an almost full-strength squad for the game.
They should be looking to score as many goals as possible in the game to improve their goal difference and bolster their chances of making it through to the next round. An easy win for the Reds is our prediction here.
Prediction: Urawa Reds 3-0 Shandong Taishan
