Chinese Super League Predictions and Betting Picks – September 9, 2020

There are two Chinese Super League games taking place on Wednesday, September 9, with four of the top five in action in Group A. Runaway-leader Guangzhou Evergrande well be aiming to maintain their five-point lead at the summit, while Shenzhen has the chance to move into the top four.

Here is Wednesday’s Chinese Super League fixture list in full.

Four points separate third-place Shandong Luneng and fourth-place Shanghai Shenhua, so the result of their clash is destined to have big impact on the race for a top-four spot.

You can find my predictions for both of Wednesday’s Chinese Super League games below, along with my value betting picks for September 9.

As we head into Matchday 10 of the 2020 campaign, it’s clear that Guangzhou Evergrande is desperate to defend their crown. The 2019 champion is already five points clear at the top of Group A, and it doesn’t look like Fabio Cannavaro’s side is going to slow down anytime soon.

Evergrande’s sole defeat this term came against Shandong on Matchday 4. Since then, four wins and a draw have seen the club open up a healthy lead over the rest of the division. The South China Tigers have scored at least two goals in each of their previous five outings, with former Tottenham and Barcelona star Paulinho netting in all but one of those games.

Cannavaro will be eager to tighten things up defensively, as Evergrande hasn’t kept a clean sheet during their five-game unbeaten run. But with the team scoring almost at will, I don’t think the manager will be overly concerned right now.

Meanwhile, Shenzhen has continued to impress under Jordi Cruyff. The new head coach has overseen two wins and two draws in the past four games, meaning that Shenzhen currently boasts the second-longest unbeaten run – behind Evergrande – in Group A.

Cruyff’s men haven’t been scoring too many goals, but they haven’t been conceding many, either. Shenzhen comes into this game on the back of successive clean sheets, although keeping a third straight clean sheet against the division’s highest scorer is obviously a big ask.

I’m confident that Shenzhen will put up a decent fight on Wednesday, but Evergrande’s superiority should shine through.

Predicting the outcome of a Shanghai Shenhua game has been pretty much impossible this year. Indeed, the club’s record of three wins, three draws, and three defeats proves just how inconsistent Choi Kang-hee’s side has been in 2020.

Having said that, the Flower of Shanghai has become slightly more predictable in recent weeks. Shenhua has failed to win any of their previous four outings, picking up two draws and two defeats along the way.

Scoring goals has been Shenhua’s main problem. The team has netted under 1.5 goals in five of their nine Super League games this term, so it’s hardly surprising that only bottom-club Henan Jianye has hit the target on fewer occasions. Shin-wook Kim (3) and Giovanni Moreno (2) have combined for half of Shenhua’s goals this year, with the other five goals all coming from different players.

On the other hand, Shandong’s success has been built on a solid defense. In fact, Li Xiaopeng’s men have conceded the fewest goals in Group A. Clean sheets against Evergrande and Shenzhen came in the middle of an impressive four-game winning streak between Matchdays 4 and 7. However, the club heads into this clash on the back consecutive defeats.

Recent losses to Dalian Pro and Jiangsu Suning have seen Shandong drop off the pace in the race for the title, although Xiaopeng’s men still find themselves five points inside the top four. Shandong has hit a rough patch, but I believe the visit of an inconsistent Shenhua outfit provides the team with the ideal opportunity to return to winning ways.

Here are my Chinese Super League betting picks for Wednesday, September 9.

Let’s be honest, Evergrande should win this game. Odds of 1.25 for the home win suggest that Cannavaro’s men shouldn’t have too many problems on Wednesday, while odds of 8.00 for the away win prove that Shenzhen is nowhere near the current group leader.

However, the low price for the home win isn’t really worth bothering with, so I recommend adding the both teams score market into the equation. Evergrande is unbeaten in their previous five games, but the defending champion has conceded in every game during that run. Meanwhile, Shenzhen has only failed to score in two of their nine outings this year.

I’m expecting Evergrande to claim all three points on Wednesday, but I wouldn’t be at all surprised if Shenzhen got on the scoresheet in the process.

I predicted that Shandong will edge this encounter, and odds of 1.57 for the away win show that the bookies agree with my viewpoint. Still, the price for the home win (5.00) is bound to attract a bit of attention, especially when you consider that Shenhua has already beaten Shenzhen, Shandong, and Jiangsu this year.

Yes, Shenhua has been wildly unpredictable throughout 2020. But that does mean that Choi Kang-hee’s men could snatch something from this game. I’m not saying that Shenhua is good enough to claim maximum points, but backing the home side to avoid defeat seems like a good option to me.