Zhejiang Professional vs Shandong Taishan

Shandong Taishan will be looking to remain on the upwards spiral when they take on Chinese Super League strugglers Zhejiang Professional at the Yellow Dragon Stadium.

Zhejiang Professional’s sublime first-half display away to Guangzhou City last time out earned them an overwhelming 4-2 victory. Three goals scored before half-time saw Zhejiang end a frustrating four-match winless start to the 2022 Chinese Super League season (D2, L2) and catapult them two points clear of the relegation zone. The ‘Green Giants’ will hope to prove their jaw-dropping performance at Guangzhou was not just a one-off. Indeed, the four goals they bagged in midweek doubled their scoring tally from their opening four league outings (2). Last season included, Jordi Vinyals’ men have drawn a blank in consecutive home league matches (D2), casting doubt on their scoring proficiency.

On the other hand, Shandong Taishan come into this matchday amid a purple patch, having won their last three Chinese Super League games by an aggregate score of 8-0. They have, in fact, racked up back-to-back top-flight triumphs by 3+ goals ‘to nil’ in the build-up to this trip, closing the gap on pacesetters Henan Songshan Longmen to only two points. But, the ‘Taishan Dui’ have experienced mixed fortunes across their two inaugural away league matches this term (W1, L1). A hard-earned 1-0 win away to Guangzhou City on their most recent travel snapped Shandong’s horrendous six-game winless road streak (D2, L4), all competitions included.