Chinese Super League Predictions and Betting Picks – September 10, 2020

You only have to take one glance at Thursday’s fixture list to see that we have two huge mismatches on the horizon in China’s top division. The top two teams in Group B face the division’s bottom two on September 10. But can either of the underdogs upset the odds?

Here is Thursday’s Chinese Super League schedule.

Second-place Beijing Guoan hosts bottom-club Tianjin TEDA in the early kick-off before group-leader Shanghai SIPG faces second-bottom Qingdao Huanghai.

In this post, I give my predictions for both Chinese Super League games taking place on September 10. I also look at Thursday’s best value bets.

Beijing Guoan extended their unbeaten run to three games on Sunday after securing a hard-fought draw with Wuhan Zall. However, the Imperial Guards will no doubt be disappointed not to have claimed all three points having thrown away a two-goal lead.

Cedric Bakambu – who now has eight goals in nine appearances this year – opened the scoring last time out, before Zhang Yuning put the capital club 2-0 up on the stroke of half-time. But Wuhan netted two goals after the break to snatch a point.

Still, Beijing remains in a good place. Bruno Genesio’s men have only lost one of their nine Super League games this term, and they head into Matchday 10 as the division’s top scorers. With 22 goals from nine outings, Guoan is averaging just under 2.5 goals per game in 2020.

By contrast, Tianjin TEDA has only managed to score a measly seven goals this season, so it’s hardly surprising that Wang Baoshan’s side is rock bottom of Group B. In fact, the team has been woeful at both ends of the pitch.

Tianjin’s sole point this year came from a draw with Chongqing Lifan on Matchday 2. Since then, seven straight defeats have seen the club become cut adrift at the bottom of the standings. The six-point gap to second-bottom Qingdao proves just how poor Tianjin has been this term.

It goes without saying that Beijing should win this game with ease.

Shanghai SIPG finally lost their first game of 2020 on Saturday, going down 2-0 to Hebei China Fortune. However, the club is still two points clear at the top of the group. Six wins and two draws have put the Red Eagles in a seriously healthy position.

In fairness, SIPG completely dominated Hebei last time out. The team enjoyed 65% possession and racked up 14 shots, but goals at the end of each half saw Vitor Pereira’s side suffer their first defeat of the campaign.

Pereira’s squad already boasts international stars such as Marko Arnautovic, Oscar, and Hulk. But the manager will have another top-class name to call upon soon. Australian Aaron Mooy was recently signed from EPL club Brighton, giving Pereira even more options.

On the other hand, Qingdao Huanghai manager Wu Jingui could only dream of adding a player of Mooy’s caliber to his squad at the moment. Jingui’s side has only managed to win one of their nine outings this season and comes into this game on the back of three straight defeats.

It is no coincidence that Qingdao’s only victory this term came against bottom-club Tianjin. The newly promoted team has clearly struggled to compete with the country’s top sides since moving up from the second tier, although four draws have prevented to club from sliding further down the table.

Qingdao actually managed to hold SIPG to a draw on Matchday 3, but I can’t see that happening again. The Red Eagles had a man sent off on that occasion, so they shouldn’t struggle with a full complement this time around.

That’s it for my predictions. Now it’s time for the fun part! Here are my Chinese Super League picks for Thursday’s action.

I don’t think this bet needs too much explaining. This matchup brings together to division’s top scorer and the team with the poorest defensive record. When you consider those statistics, anything other than a high-scoring home win would be a huge shock here.

The price for the Beijing win is at 1.17, with the away win at 11.00. But you can boost the odds to 1.80 by throwing the over 2.5 goals market into the mix. Oh, and just in case you need further convincing, eight of Beijing’s nine games this term have produced at least three goals.

Needless to say, SIPG should win this game comfortably, and odds of 1.22 for the home win back that up. Qingdao is the obvious outsider at 9.50 here, although I think we can improve on the low price for the SIPG win.

The Red Eagles boast the best defensive record in the division, having conceded just eight goals in nine games. Meanwhile, Qingdao is the second-lowest scorer in Group B. If you add the clean sheet market onto the home win, you can almost double the odds.