Macarthur Bulls return to ACL Two action on Thursday evening when they face Chinese Super League (CSL) side Beijing Guoan at Campbelltown Sports Stadium.
The 2024 Australia Cup winners suffered a 2-1 away loss to Hong Kong Premier League side Tai Po on matchday one of the competition.
Now Mile Sterjovski’s side will be aiming to bounce back from that opening-game loss when they welcome the team currently running fourth in the CSL behind Kevin Muscat’s Shanghai Port this season to Campbelltown.
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Sterjovski will have to reshuffle his defence for the game though, with defender Callum Talbot suspended following his red card against Tai Po.
Despite that loss, the Bulls’ boss will have reason to be optimistic ahead of the clash with Beijing Guoan, given Macarthur still controlled the contest against Tai Po, even with 10 men on the field.
Coached by former Barcelona and Real Betis head coach Quique Setien, Beijing Guoan travel to Sydney’s southwest after drawing their opening game against Vietnamese side Cong An Hanoi FC 2-2 in Beijing.
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In what was a fiery affair in Beijing, both sides were involved in a brawl late in the game that saw multiple yellow cards dished out – including one to former Adelaide United midfielder Stefan Mauk, who now plays for Hanoi.
The Bulls will be hoping for a packed crowd at Campbelltown Sports Stadium on Thursday evening, with tickets priced at $20 for adults, $15 for concessions and $10 for kids.
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Team news and form
With Talbot suspended, Sterjovski is likely to turn to young defender Joshua Damevski to fill the void at right-back having brought the 20-year old on in the second-half of the loss to Tai Po.
Having missed out on the trip to Hong Kong, South Korean forward Ji Dong-won could well feature for the club at home whilst new Mexican striker Rafael Duran Martinez is also in line to make his debut for the Bulls.
Sterjovski opted to play Chris Ikonomidis through the middle against Tai Po but also then introduced towering striker Harrison Sawyer for the second-half, meaning he has plenty of options in the final third.
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Beijing Guoan head into the game in mixed form having won their last domestic match 4-2 against Dalian Yingbo however prior to that they suffered three losses on the bounce whilst also drawing with Hanoi in the ACL Two.
Currently sat fourth in the CSL, Beijing are six points behind Muscat’s Shanghai Port who currently lead the way with just four games left in their domestic season.
Format, prize money & fixtures
Unlike the ACL Champions League Elite competition which operates in a league format, the ACL Two remains as it was last year: Eight groups consisting of four teams in each, with all sides playing against one another at home and away.
The top two sides from each group will then progress through to the knockout stages of the competition where the draw remains split between ‘East and West’ before the two best sides from each side of the draw will meet in the final.
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How to watch
You can watch Macarthur Bulls’ ACL Two campaign LIVE via Paramount+ in 2025-26.
Match Details
Macarthur Bulls FC v Beijing Guoan
Matchday 2 – AFC Champions League Two
Thursday, October 2 2025
Campbelltown Sports Stadium
Kick-off: 5:45pm AEST
