Guangzhou City vs Shanghai Port
Yuexiushan Stadium is the venue as Guangzhou City take on Shanghai Port in an exciting Chinese Super League showdown.
Guangzhou City have experienced mixed fortunes across their last three Super League matches (W1, D1, L1), all of which featured two goals inside the opening 35 minutes of play. However, it’s worth noting that Guangzhou’s topsy-turvy form has seen them pick up just one win from their last seven Super League games (D2, L4), conceding 2+ goals in three of those four defeats in that period. The ‘Blue Lions’ may have won just 33.33% of their home league fixtures this season (W3, D3, L3), but they’ve at least done that emphatically, scoring an average of 4.0 goals per victory. Unfortunately, a run of seven successive top-flight home H2Hs without a win (D5, L2) douses any embers of optimism regarding Guangzhou’s fourth Super League triumph at home this term.
As for Shanghai Port, a comprehensive 3-1 home win over Shenzhen last time out brought their two-game winless Super League streak to a halt (D1, L1). After waving goodbye to the likes of the world’s greats, Marko Arnautovic and Hulk, the visitors’ hopes of winning their second Super League title have lost any meaning. Yet, they are likely to clinch qualification for the AFC Champions League as they head into proceedings holding a three-point lead over fourth-placed Changchun Yatai. To solidify their position in the coveted top three, though, Shanghai will have to defy their indifferent away form across their last four Super League travels (W2, D1, L1). The ‘Red Eagles’ can always rely on a rock-solid backline to lay the foundations for success, as they’ve only conceded more than once in one of their nine league road trips this season.