Albert
·
3d
My Prediction
Shanghai Port by 3As we take a closer look at this Chinese Super League rumble in the jungle, our focus is on Shanghai Port squaring off against Meizhou Hakka.
Goalkeepers can often swing the favor of the match, and this time around, we see Meizhou Hakka in the slightly safer hands of Quanbo Guo. Quanbo has an impressive 6.85 rating and 6 saves, while Shanghai Port's Junling Yan clocks in a bit lower with a 6.40 rating and just a single save.
However, let's not forget about the outfield. The key difference makers for Meizhou Hakka are going to be Rodrigo Henrique, and Chaosheng Yang. Henrique's been steady with a 7.75 rating and an overall solid performance. Meanwhile, Yang has been banging in goals left and right, with 3 goals to his name.
On the other hand, the Shanghai tide brings with it players like Li Xinxiang and Leonardo. Xinxiang, an absolute crowd-pleaser, brings an 8.30 rating and a nose for goals. Leonardo might prefer his name on the marquee, but with his 7.55 rating and 2 goals, you'd think he's trying to give Xinxiang a run for his money.
Looking back at the history between these two, it feels like we've been down this road before. All the three previous matchups favored Shanghai Port, the most recent one a convincing 7-2 victory.
The book ends don't look that different either - the regular season scores tell a similar tale. Shanghai Port rides in with 2 wins, a draw, and no losses, while the Hakka's got a mixed bag of a win, a draw, and a loss. You can, more or less, predict the music before it even starts to play.
The recent results echo similar sentiments. Shanghai has been on fire, charming their fans with goal-filled games, while Meizhou Hakka has been wobbling like a bike without training wheels.
As for my prediction, while predicting sports outcomes can sometimes be as easy as plucking feathers from a chicken, this one seems to have "Shanghai" written all over it in neon lights - they've got the form, they've got the history, and they've got Xinxiang.
Albert’s Prediction: Shanghai Port by 3