Separated by just two points and one place in the top half of the Chinese Super League standings, Beijing Guoan and Meizhou Hakka square off at the Meixian Tsang Hin-chi Stadium on Thursday.
The Imperial Guards are unbeaten in their last seven outings, while the visitors will seek a third win on the trot for the first time since November.
Match preview
Beijing Guoan maintained their impressive start to the season as they claimed a hard-fought 2-1 victory away to Tianjin Jinmen Tiger on Sunday.
Following an uneventful first half, former Groningen man Samir Memisevic struck twice within 24 minutes of the second period before Yuanjie Su pulled one back in the 77th minute.
The Imperial Guards are now unbeaten in seven straight games, picking up four wins and three draws since a 2-1 loss to Cangzhou Mighty Lions in the season opener on June 5.
With 15 points from a possible 24, Beijing Guoan are currently fifth in the Super League standings, two points above Thursday's Christ's and seven off first-placed Wuhan Three Towns.
Elsewhere, newly-promoted Meizhou Hakka picked up successive victories for the first time this year when they edged out Shenzhen 1-0 on home turf last weekend.
In a cagey affair at the Wuhua Hengpi Football Town, 23-year-old midfielder Guokang Chen came up trumps for the hosts as he netted the only goal of the game in the 49th minute.
This followed a comprehensive 4-1 victory over Cangzhou Mighty Lions on June 29, when Nebojsa Kosovic scored one and provided two assists to end their three-game winless run.
While Milan Ristic's side will look to pick up a third successive victory for the first time since November, they have struggled to get going on the road, managing just one win in five away games across all competitions.
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Team News
Beijing Guoan will be without 32-year-old defender Pengxiang Jin, who is set to sit out his fifth consecutive game through an ankle injury.
He is joined on the Imperial Guards' injury table by Li Ke, who picked up a knee problem while on international duty for China against Maldives back in June.
Xi Feng picked up a red card while on the substitutes' bench at the weekend and is out of contention for the hosts, while Quanbo Guo is yet to feature this year through a severe injury.
With six goals under his belt, Yuning Zhang is currently second in the Super League top scorer's chart and we expect the 25-year-old to lead the Beijing Guoan attack once again.
As for Meizhou Hakka, Ristic will be forced to make do without Yihu Yang, who has missed each of the last four games through a calf injury.
Kosovic has been instrumental in the Guangdong-based outfit's solid start to the season, scoring two goals and creating four more, and the former Standard Liege man will be one to keep an eye on.
Fellow midfielder Rodrigo Henrique is a doubt for the visitors after the Brazilian international was forced off injured late in the game against Shenzhen on Sunday.
Beijing Guoan possible starting lineup:
Zou; Shaowen, Yu, C Zhang; Wang, Z Chi, Memisevic, X Zhang, S Kang; Dabro, Y Zhang
Meizhou Hakka possible starting lineup:
Hou; Chen, Dugalic, Liao, Li; Kosovic, Cui; Li, C Yin, Yang; Vukanovic
We say: Beijing Guoan 1-1 Meizhou Hakka
Meizhou Hakka appears to have settled into the big leagues and will head into this matchup with renewed confidence. While they face a spirited Beijing Guoan side who are unbeaten in seven consecutive outings, we predict they will do just enough to leave with a share of the spoils.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Joshua Ojele
