Inspired by its opening 1-0 away victory over Group F favorite Yokohama F Marinos last Wednesday, admittedly at the expense of seven yellow and one red card, China FA Cup holder Shandong Luneng is brimming with confidence ahead of its game with Thailand's BEC Tero Sasana on Wednesday.

Home advantage and physical superiority are the main reasons why the hosts feel that another three point-haul is theirs for thetaking against a team which reached the AFC Champions League finalin 2003.

The contrasting drop of temperature, from 30 degrees Centigradein Bangkok to about 10 degrees in Jinan, is just one thing the visitors will have to contend with, together with the fact LjubisaTumbakovic's charges will look to make their physical superiority tell, especially when it comes to set-pieces.

"With power and superiority in the air, our national team has got the better of teams from ASEAN, like Indonesia and Thailand," said one of the Shandong coaching staff.

"With the experiences gained from these matches, set-pieces would be a good chance to score against BEC."

Shu Chang, Predrag Pazin and Gao Yao, who scored the only goal against Yokohama F Marinos, are the players that Shandong will count on in the air. BEC Tero can expect a lot of high balls and a barrage of crosses from the flanks.

The void left by influential defender Zheng Zhi, who is suspended for a red card in the previous match, will be filled by veteran Li Xiaopeng, who was sidelined last week due to injury.

Li was a regular with the Chinese national team under former coach Bora Milutinovic. He scored 10 goals last season and helped Shandong finish runner-up of the inaugural season of the Super League.

Deflated BEC Tero Sasana, meanwhile, will be playing for pride as much as points. The former Thai League champion lost its opening game 1-0 to Indonesia's PSM Makassar to further darken themood in the club following a poor run of results in domestic competition.

BEC Tero has been in decline since it lost the final of the AFCChampions League in 2003 and travelled to China at the weekend with its confidence at an all-time low. The club is financed by the BEC Tero entertainment group and its boss Brian Marcar, a football enthusiast, is reportedly running out of patience with the side.

Coach Sasom Pobprasert was handed the twin targets of securing a top three spot in the Thai League -- BEC fell to ninth in the 10-team division at the weekend -- and qualifying for the last eight of the AFC Champions League.

The second of these goals already looks a lost cause after the home defeat by PSM Makassar and BEC Tero's main objective against China FA Cup winner Shandong Luneng is to be competitive.

"We want the players to show fighting spirit against Shandong,"said BEC Tero manager Ong-Art Kohsinkha.

"They are a strong side and the weather is cold in China at themoment which will work against us.

"The team just cannot score goals at the moment and there is not enough support for the strikers from the midfield. There is a lack of confidence in the side and it will be difficult to get anysort of result against Shandong."

BEC Tero has scored just two goals in its last six games in theThai League and young striker Chakrit Buathong missed a hatful of chances against PSM Makassar.

"This is not our first time to visit China and play with Chinese team," Pobprasert told reporters in China.

"We have beaten Shanghai Shenhua twice, 2-1 and 4-1 respectively, so we have showed that we can cope with Chinese teams."

The game kicks off at 14:30 local time.

Editor: Donald