Beijing Guoan  Photo: VCG

The Chinese Super League (CSL) is set to reignite the weekend after an international break, with one of the most anticipated fixtures being a clash between Beijing Guoan and Chengdu Rongcheng at the iconic Beijing Workers' ­Stadium on Saturday in Beijing.

Guoan, aiming for the championship this year, has naturalized Serginho, now known in Chinese as Sai Erjiniao, enabling them to field a formidable lineup with five foreign players plus the former Brazilian. 

It will be Sai's debut for the Beijing club after finishing the transfer from Changchun Yatai in January. Sai made his debut for the Chinese national team on Tuesday.

This upcoming match marks the first home game for Guoan at the Workers' Stadium this season. It will be the debut of the new coach and new signings in front of a home crowd. 

Fan attendance is expected to be high at the Workers' Stadium, which boasts a capacity of 68,000.

Guoan has put out an additional 636 tickets for the match after the initial tickets for the match sold out. 

After the national team's game against Australia in Hangzhou on Tuesday, which attracted 70,588 spectators, analysts say that high attendance should also be expected in domestic league matches.

"The high attendance of the national team's game has heralded huge enthusiasm for football, even though the national team's recent results are far from satisfying," Zhang Bin, a Beijing-based sports commentator, told the Global Times on Thursday. 

"As long as the teams, no matter if it is the national team or a club team, deliver quality performances, there will be a growing number of high attendance matches domestically as well."

Rongcheng, as the third-place finisher last season and a participant in this year's Asian Champions League, also has a strong squad although their key player Tim Chow has been suspended. 

Last season's runners-up Shanghai Shenhua will play away against Henan FC on Saturday. The match is Shenhua's first away game of the season. 

The team is facing the dual impacts of player call-ups for national team duties, while key players such as Ibrahim Amadou of France are out due to injury. 

How coach Leonid Slutsky will arrange the lineup has become one of the focal points of fan attention.

Moreover, the game also marks the beginning of a tough stretch for Shenhua's fixture as they will also play away against strong teams such as local rivals Shanghai Port, Shandong Taishan and Rongcheng. 

CSL giants Shandong ­Taishan will travel to face Meizhou Hakka in South China on Saturday. 

Meizhou, the team with the lowest player market value in the league this season, has managed an undefeated start with one win and one draw. 

Playing at home gives hosts Meizhou an edge, and it will be fascinating to see if they can pull off an upset against the powerhouse Shandong.

Before the weekend, last season's CSL champions Shanghai Port will visit Qingdao West Coast on Friday. 

Port have won their first two games of the season and currently are at the top of the league table. 

West Coast, under the guidance of local coach Shao Jiayi, has impressed with one win and one draw in the first two rounds, ranking third and emerging as a dark horse in the league this season. 

Despite Port's overall strength advantage, key central defender Jiang Guangtai will be absent due to injury. 

West Coast will be eager to prove themselves at home, and this match will be a litmus test of their newfound form.