We continue to fly through the Chinese Super League campaign as teams across the top tier attempt to push towards their ultimate goal - whether it be the title, survival or somewhere in between. Today, we’ll be taking a look at an important clash between Shandong Luneng and Tianjin Teda.
Shandong Form GuideShandong Luneng have looked really, really strong as of late and that transformation is something to take real pride in. Of course, they need to be able to sustain it, but a top six place is obviously something to build on. If they can start to kill teams off, they’re really going to get somewhere, but there’s a fear that they’ve peaked too early, with many wanting them to start turning draws into wins.
Shandong are a great side, but they haven’t been without their struggles. In the last month or so they have been able to beat Beijing 3-0, Meizhou 6-1 and Shijiazhuang 4-0 - but at the same time, they drew with Nantong and suffered losses to Hangzhou and Chengdu.
Tianjin Form GuideWe arrive at Tianjin Teda, a team with just three losses all season. They aren’t quite as high up in the table as that record would suggest, and it’s starting to impact their confidence, or so it seems. The best word to describe their style of play is consistent and even though they aren’t the most eye-catching at times, they aren’t easy to beat - although some fans are probably frustrated by the sheer volume of draws.
Tianjin quite simply cannot buy a victory right now and if you look too far into it, you can argue that they’re spiralling. They drew with Shenzhen, Changchun and Beijing in recent weeks, running alongside surprising defeats to Hangzhou, Shanghai and Henan.
Match PredictionShandong will be anxious to really go for it given some of the uncertainty in their recent displays, whereas Tianjin aren’t exactly the kind of freescoring souls that will push the tempo too much. Between those two facts, you won’t be surprised to learn that we’re going for under 2.5 goals scored.
