Guangzhou vs Kitchee

Guangzhou will be desperate to get off the mark in the AFC Champions League when they take on Kitchee at the Chang Arena in the third round of group stage fixtures.

It’s been a thoroughly underwhelming start to their Champions League campaign for Guangzhou, as they’ve lost both of their opening group stage games by over 1.5 goals ‘to nil.’ Another failure here is likely to rule them out of contention for a top-two finish in Group J, though a return of just two wins from their last seven competitive fixtures (D2, L3) cannot provide courage to the home team. Moreover, except for a 2-0 triumph over domestic rivals Shenzhen in early May, the ‘South China Tagers’ have failed to win six of their last seven home matches in all competitions (D2, L4), conceding over 1.5 goals five times in the process. Fabio Cannavaro can find some encouragement in his side scoring twice per game in two of their last three competitive home fixtures.

On the other hand, the visitors have failed to build on a 2-0 home win over Port on Matchday 1, surrendering a half-time lead to lose 2-1 to Cerezo Osaka on the road last time out. Ahead of the kick-off, none of Kitchee’s previous 12 games in all competitions have ended as a draw (W9, L3), with 50% of those results (win/loss) being accompanied by a clean sheet. Warming up for this encounter, the ‘Bluewaves’ have lost identical 2-1 away losses, which represents a notable downfall compared to a run of nine consecutive road trips without defeat (W8, D1). Yet, there’s been plenty of action in Kitchee’s recent away matches as five of the last six have produced over 2.5 total goals.