Here we have Shenzhen City locking horns with Wuhan Three Towns. Keep your eye on the prize, folks, because this one might get messy.
Between the sticks for Shenzhen City is Jiabao Ji, sporting a 6.60 rating with three saves under his belt. Not too shabby, but not overly impressive either. For Wuhan Three Towns, Puliang Shao takes command of the fort. A keeper with grit, he holds a 6.90 rating and has made 2 saves this season.
Taking a sneak peek at the top dogs from each team, Shenzhen City boasts the likes of Rade Dugalić, an 8.70 rating monster with a goal to his name and Edu Garcia, who despite not having scored a goal, holds a 7.80 rating. On the other end of the field, Gustavo Sauer is leading Wuhan Three Towns’ charge with an awesome 8.90 rating and a goal.
Hold onto your hats, because it's time to dig into the history books. In the past, Wuhan Three Towns triumphed over Shenzhen City with a 4-1 victory, meanwhile their most recent tête-à-tête ended in a tie, leaving the scoreline at 1 apiece. A seesaw history that leans a tad bit towards the Wuhan team.
Season records tell us an interesting story, Wuhan Three Towns and Shenzhen City holding identical win records. Wuhan scores a slight advantage with an extra draw, while Shenzhen City has one more loss in the book.
Recent form? Check this out. Wuhan racked up three wins and a draw while only losing one to Shanghai Port. Shenzhen City, on the hand, achieved a mixed bag of two wins, a draw, and two losses.
What’s the bottom line? To quote the infamous Yogi Berra, "It's tough to make predictions, especially about the future". But given Shenzhen's standing, and Wuhan's flare on the field, I foresee an uphill battle for Shenzhen City.
Albert’s Prediction: Wuhan Three Towns by 1