Hebei CFFC vs Shanghai SIPG Predictions

When they lost at the hands of Dalian back at the start of the month, Shanghai could’ve slipped back, though they rallied quickly and have now won four on the bounce. With those four wins behind them, the team in closest pursuit of the league leaders will be looking to continue moving in the right direction when they visit Langfang Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

To keep pace with the league leaders, Shanghai have had to win lots of games, and that’s exactly what they’ve done. Their hopes of lifting the title were dented earlier in the month, though if recent form is anything to go by, Vítor Pereira’s men look as though they’re going to run Beijing Guoan close.

Scoring goals is how Shanghai have put themselves in such a good position. They’ve not been poor at the back, but it is what they’ve done in the final third that has allowed them to maintain such a lofty position. As things stand, only two teams have outscored Pereira’s side. What’s more, Saturday’s visitors have thrived from a goal-scoring point of view on their travels, as they’ve notched 20 goals in nine away games. Such scoring form bodes well ahead of this match.

Hebei haven’t been the easiest side to beat on their own patch, though they’ve struggled to really make headway in the final third. They’ve scored thirteen goals in ten home games, which doesn’t sound too bad, though the fact that all but three teams in the division have scored more at home isn’t overly flattering. Defensively, the hosts are not too bad, though whether they’ve got wat it takes to keep out a very strong attacking team like Shanghai SIPG remains to be seen.

Although Hebei haven’t conceded as many home goals as some of the teams around them in the table, they’ve not exactly thrived on their own patch of late. They conceded twice against Guangzhou R&F not that long ago, while even a Tianjin Teda side that has struggled for goals on the road managed to find the net twice at Langfang Stadium. With that in mind, it’s not at all hard to see one of the most potent teams in the entire division doing well.

Having made light work of scoring goals in recent weeks, the visitors ought to be relishing this opportunity. Hebei are the sort of team that can be dominated, while, as other teams have proven, they’re also the sort of team that will cave when push really comes to shove.

All things considered, the high-scoring visitors are backed to continue thriving by notching at least twice at Langfang Stadium on Saturday afternoon.