Beijing Guoan - Hangzhou Greentown Tip 15-09-2023

The international break is over and it’s time to get back underway in the Chinese Super League as a parade of clubs attempt to kickstart a positive run through the autumn months. There’s still a whole lot left to be determined at both ends of the table and this weekend, we’re gearing up for what should be an interesting clash between Beijing Guoan and Hangzhou Greentown.

Beijing Guoan have always seemed to struggle with the concept of consistency but now that they’ve been able to work their way up into the top four, it does feel like they’re beginning to rediscover their identity and carve out a system that works for them. If they can continue to put emphasis on that, maybe they can push towards a confirmed place in the Champions League qualifiers.

Beijing made a real statement at the start of August as they ran out 3-1 winners over Henan. They did get held to a 0-0 draw by Tianjin but ever since then, they’ve hit nothing but home runs. They beat Nantong, Shenhua and Shijiazhuang by an aggregate score of 8-2.

After 25 years of existence, Hangzhou Greentown have certainly made themselves known as regulars in the top flight. Last season was a great showing as they finished in third, with their only superior performances being two runners-up medals. While they’ve been able to look good in a lot of their recent outings, they need to maintain that momentum if they’re serious about becoming contenders.

Slowly but surely, Hangzhou have been making some really nice waves, going unbeaten through the month of August. They beat Wuhan, Shanghai and Dalian to run alongside draws with Nantong and Qingdao in the space of just over three weeks.

This is a clash between two teams that haven’t lost a game between them in quite some time, with the popular opinion being that they’ll both go on a really strong run between now and the end of the season. It’ll be competitive and it’ll be nervy, with the end result being a draw.