Chinese Super League Predictions and Best Bets – Thursday, August 27, 2020

There are two Group B matchups for us to enjoy in the Chinese Super League on Thursday, with second-place Beijing Guoan looking to return to winning ways following their first defeat of the 2020 season. Both of the newly promoted teams – Shijiazhuang Ever Bright and Qingdao Huanghai – are also in action.

Here is the Chinese Super League fixture list for August 27 in full.

Hebei China Fortune will be aiming to hold onto a top-four spot this week, although Qingdao and Shijiazhuang could both overtake Xie Feng’s side. Guoan’s healthy lead over third-place Wuhan means the capital club won’t drop out of the top two, regardless of their result against Ever Bright.

Keep reading to see my Chinese Super League predictions for August 27, and make sure you check out Thursday’s betting picks at the end of this post.

Beijing Guoan got off to a flier at the beginning of the season, winning their opening four games while scoring a combined total of nine goals. The Imperial Guards were looking pretty much unstoppable heading into Matchday 5, but they ended up throwing away a three-goal lead against Qingdao and were forced to settle for a point.

Bruno Genesio’s side also went ahead against group-leader Shanghai SIPG last time out, with former Villarreal forward Cedric Bakambu netting his second goal of the season. However, despite racking up 13 shots and enjoying 62% possession, Guoan conceded either side of half-time and eventually lost 2-1.

Four straight wins have left the capital club in a strong position. But after picking up just one point from a possible six since then, Guoan will be eager to return to winning ways on Thursday.

If it wasn’t for the woeful form of Tianjin TEDA, Shijiazhuang Ever Bright would be joint-bottom of Group B right now. In fairness, Afshin Ghotbi’s men have actually only lost two of their six Super League games since gaining promotion from the second division last season. But they have also managed just one win.

Draws with Hebei, Qingdao, and SIPG have stopped the club from slipping down the standings, although they have also prevented Shijiazhuang from moving up the table. Ever Bright’s sole victory came against struggling Tianjin, but Ghotbi’s men are yet to prove themselves against the division’s top teams.

Of course, Guoan is one of the division’s top teams, so I’m expecting the away side to come out on top in this matchup.

Qingdao Huanghai has become somewhat of a draw specialist following the club’s promotion last term. Pablo Machin’s side lost their opening game to Wuhan Zall, but four consecutive draws followed. Qingdao finally picked up their first three-point haul of the 2020 campaign with a 2-0 victory over Tianjin last weekend, extending their impressive unbeaten run to five games.

It is worth pointing out that only first-place SIPG has lost fewer games than Qingdao in Group B. Granted, Machin’s men don’t score too many goals. French winger Romain Alessandrini has netted four of his side’s eight league goals this term. But there are plenty of teams with a poorer defensive record. Clean sheets against Chongqing Lifan and Tianjin prove that Qingdao’s backline isn’t easy to get past.

Despite losing more games than Qingdao, Hebei China Fortune currently sits one point ahead of the newly promoted team in the standings. The Langfang club only managed to pick up two points from their opening four games, but back-to-back victories over Tianjin (2-0) and Wuhan (3-1) have propelled Hebei into the top half of Group B.

There is no denying that Hebei boasts a stronger squad than Qingdao, with Brazilian duo Ricardo Goulart and Marcao leading the way in attack. However, the home side’s solid defense is likely to frustrate the visiting team on Thursday.

Qingdao may not have what it takes to claim all three points, but I’m confident that Machin’s men can hold on for yet another draw.

My predictions are done, so now it’s time to get stuck into my value betting picks for Thursday’s Chinese Super League action.

Beijing Guoan’s (1.71) eye-catching four-game winning streak at the start of the season has left the capital club in a very good place. The team may have dropped off in their previous two outings, but I’m expecting Genesio’s men to rediscover some form against outsider Shijiazhuang Ever Bright (5.90).

It’s important to remember that Guoan finished second in the Super League last term, while Shijiazhuang was promoted from the second division. Don’t get me wrong, Ghotbi’s side has shown signs of promise in the early stages of the campaign. But considering the position of both clubs, the price for the away win is definitely worth taking advantage of here.

Newly-promoted Qingdao (3.55) comes into this game as the bookies’ underdog, with Hebei (1.95) the favorite. I predicted that the home side will snatch a point from this matchup, although backing the draw (3.50) is always a pretty risky bet.

I’m steering clear of the outright markets for this one and going with under 2.5 goals, mainly because of Qingdao’s defensive record. Four of Qingdao’s six league games have produced less than three goals this season, while Machin’s side has only conceded more than two goals on one occasion. I can see Qingdao’s backline thwarting Hebei.

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