Hebei CFFC vs Henan Jianye Predictions

It’s not exactly been a fruitful start to the campaign for Hebei, who come into this match having won just one of their seven league matches, while they’re now without a win in six. After losing each of their last two, the hosts will be hoping to bounce back.

When Hebei drew with Beijin Renhe at this venue a few weeks ago, though they didn’t get the win, they appeared to be moving in the right direction. On that occasion, they looked good going forward, as they created 2.57 expected goals for, while they gave little away at the back, shipping just 0.52. However, last time out, they went back to creating little and giving too much away, as they lost by two goals to nil away against Shandong. Now back on their own patch, Chris Coleman’s men need to do better.

Hebei weren’t great last time out, but most of their home performances have been reasonable. They played well when drawing against Beijing Renhe when last in action at this venue, while they were unlucky against both Beijing Guoan and Shanghai SIPG prior to that. Results haven’t gone their way, but their underlying numbers have been respectable, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if their fortunes soon turned. Hebei average a pleasing 1.99 expected goals for at home this season, while they’ve surrendered an average of just 0.86.

While the hosts have done a more than reasonable job of creating more than they’ve conceded at home, Henan have struggled in terms of creativity on their travels. They were very fortunate to draw against Shandong when conceding 2.46 expected goals, especially since they posted just 0.99 for. Much of the same can be said for each of their last two away matches, the first of which saw them lose 2-1 against Beijing Guoan. They beat Beijing Renhe in their most recent travelling match, though they weren’t great defensively, as they conceded no less than 2.35 expected goals. In contrast, Hebei conceded just 0.52 expected goals against Beijing Renhe at home recently.

When we consider the recent efforts of both, the bet that stands out is ‘Hebei to Win & Over 2.5 Goals’. Against a side that has surrendered lots of scoring opportunities on the road this season, the hosts, who average a solid 1.99 expected goals for at home, are backed to score at least twice on route to picking up a first home win of the campaign.