BEIJING, March 4 (Xinhua) -- Shanghai Shenhua defender Jiang Shenglong is expected to wear a protective mask during Wednesday's AFC Champions League match against Kawasaki Frontale after sustaining a facial injury in a recent domestic game.

The Shanghai-based club released a statement on Tuesday, one day ahead of their AFC Champions League Elite Round of 16 first-leg clash with Kawasaki Frontale, confirming that Jiang suffered a facial bone fracture during the Chinese Super League match against Beijing Guoan on Sunday.

According to the statement, he is likely to don a protective mask for Wednesday's encounter against the Japanese side.

"This afternoon, following the final pre-match training session, the medical team will conduct a further assessment of Jiang Shenglong's injury to determine whether he can wear a protective mask for tomorrow's game," the statement added. Enditem