Hebei vs Guangzhou FC

Guangzhou FC will be looking to get their stop-start Chinese Super League campaign back on the rails when they take on basement boys Hebei at the Huadu Stadium.

Since eking out a narrow 1-0 home win over Shanghai Port in mid-August, Hebei have run out of steam, going winless in their last six Super League fixtures on the trot (D3, L3). A genuine lack of firepower up front has seen the home side draw a blank in six of their last ten league outings, scoring precisely once in the other four. Coming into this matchday, Hebei are the only side to have failed to reach a 20-goal landmark in the Super League this season (14), scoring at least nine goals fewer than any other team in China’s top-flight. Another seemingly disappointing midweek is looming as Kim Jong-boo’s men go up against a Guangzhou side they’ve failed to beat in each of their last seven Super League H2Hs (D2, L5).

In the meantime, Guangzhou have struggled with inconsistent performances lately, alternating between victory and draw across their last four Super League outings (W2, D2). In turn, Zheng Zhi’s men have racked up two triumphs from their previous three league away games (L1), both of which yielded a full-time margin of 2+ goals. But the ‘South China Tigers’ have enjoyed a noticeable defensive improvement in the build-up to this encounter, going from a run of three consecutive matches without a clean sheet to recording three shutouts in a row. Delivering action from the get-go, Guangzhou have registered a clear majority (65%) of their Super League away goals scored this season (13/20), with no side scoring more first-half goals on the road than them (13) so far.