The three top-flight powerhouses Beijing Guoan, Shandong Luneng, and Shanghai Shenhua were drawn into the same A quarter of the 2017 Chinese Football Association (CFA) Cup on Thursday.
A total of 64 teams will compete in the tournament, including 16 from Chinese Super League (CSL), and 16 from second-tier China League One.
All the CSL teams will be directly into the third round, League One teams into the second, while the others should start from the initial stage.
Besides the seemingly zone of death A quarter, another eye-catching duo is a potential clash in the last 16 between defending champion Guangzhou Evergrande and CSL outfit Hebei China Fortune, which almost completed the transfer of Juventus midfielder Anderson Hernanes.
The first round of CFA Cup will start on March 18.
