Taiwan Steel vs. Taipower Prediction and Betting Pick – Taiwan Premier League, April 19

This should be the game of the weekend in Taiwan as two of the main challengers for the league title go head to head in Tainan.

It is obviously only early days, but this will be a very good test of both teams’ ability to control the league this year and to see whose new players have adapted to their new surroundings the better.

Catch the odds and my pick below in this Taiwan Steel vs. Taipower betting preview.

BetOnline makes Taipower the clear favorite here, but I’m not sure that there is much between the two. Taiwan Steel has recruited well since the end of last season and could make the race for the title at least a three-horse race this year.

I’m more inclined to look at the price for the draw at first glance.

Taiwan Steel took two of the best players in the Premier League from the reigning champions in the offseason and look sure to improve on last season’s fourth-place finish this year. Finishing almost 20 points behind Tatung was obviously not good enough, and the addition of Marc Fenelus and Benchy Estama has already made an immediate difference.

Add Taiwan number one Pan Wen-Chieh to the squad as well, and it looks like Taiwan Steel really means business this year. The 4-2 win over Ming Chuan University on the opening day of the season was fairly straightforward, but this game against Taipower will be much more of a test.

Taipower showed that it belongs at the top end of the table by beating three times champions Tatung in its first game of the year. Where the champions lost a number of top players, Taipower retained the majority of its squad for the new season and looked far more settled as the game went on.

One of the few new arrivals, Chenzhao, scored the opening goal, but it was Lee Hsiang-Wei who found the net twice — once in the final minute — to give Taipower the morale-boosting victory. He will be looking for more opportunities to add to that tally against Taiwan Steel.

Taipower’s consistent form over the last few seasons has afforded it the favorites tag for this game, but I feel that Taiwan Steel will really push it and Tatung all the way this season. The addition of Marc Fenelus in particular is a huge plus in the attempt to finish higher in the league, and he could play a part in this game, too. It should be fascinating, but I think Taiwan Steel will continue the enthralling start the new Taiwan Premier League season has enjoyed.