Albert
·
20h
My Prediction
Shandong Taishan by 2If you're looking for a Chinese Super League matchup to proverbially set your watch to, this Shandong Taishan vs Chengdu Rongcheng game likely won't be it.
Chengdu Rongcheng goalkeepers, Tao Jian and Dianzuo Liu have had ratings of 6.80 and 6.70 respectively, which I would say is comfortable as my seat cushion. Just kidding, nothing's as comfortable as my seat cushion. On the other side of the goal line, Shandong's Dalei Wang has been less consistent with a rating of 6.10. You could say one hard blowing wind, and he might just miss a save.
When it comes to their footy maestros, Chengdu Rongcheng doesn't lack for top players. Romulo, Shihao Wei, and Timo Letschert have been performing solos on the field like a seasoned rockstars at a music festival. Over on Taishan's side, it seems like Zeca is keeping the team afloat on his lone back. He's scored 2 goals, both of which were probably magical enough to warrant their own Disney movie. Lucas Gazal and Yang Liu turn up well too, with near-nirvana ratings of 7.40 and 7.30 respectively.
The rocky history between these two provides us with a plot juicier than your favorite soap opera. Shandong Taishan seems to have outwitted Chengdu Rongcheng in the past, winning 2 out of 3 matchups. In the football world, that's like being named class valedictorian.
In the regular season so far, Chengdu Rongcheng has a record as inconsistent as my commitment to a gym membership – 1 win, 1 draw and 1 loss, whereas Shandong Taishan has 2 wins and 1 draw. They're like the upstanding honor student to Chengdu's slacker persona.
Based on recent matches, you'd think Shandong Taishan spends its time fighting dragons and rescuing princesses with their daring wins, while Chengdu Rongcheng appears to be perpetually stuck in the 100-acre wood, with 2 losses out of their recent 5 games.
So, based on my years of experience, intuition and the precise calculation method I call 'eeny, meeny, miny, moe', the prediction will be:
Albert’s Prediction: Shandong Taishan by 2