Shanghai SIPG vs Beijing Guoan Predictions

A few too many draws mean that Shanghai currently trail Sunday’s visitors, who lead the way in the Chinese Super League by five points, though they’ve now won four on the bounce, so they’ll go into this game full of confidence. In contrast, Beijing Guoan could be feeling slightly downbeat after they were heavily beaten in the AFC Champions League on Tuesday.

Shanghai’s last four performances have been encouraging; not only have they won four in a row, but they’ve done all the right things in doing so. Going forward, they’ve offered plenty, scoring seven goals and posting expected goals for figures of 1.78, 2.15, 2.43 and 1.26, while they’ve been very strong at the back too. SIPG have conceded just one goal in their last four, while they’ve also given little away in terms of chances, as they’ve surrendered expected goals numbers of just 0.2, 1.1, 0.27 and 0.58. They may be up against the league leaders, but such form suggests that Vítor Pereira’s men can do well on Sunday.

Beijing have also been in excellent form of late, which is why they’ve opened-up a five-point lead at the top. Sunday’s visitors come into this game having won 100% of their league games this season, which is impressive.

In truth, it’s tough to pick holes in the performances of Beijing Guoan; they’ve scored goals, kept teams at bay and have continued to get the job done. Even on the road, they’ve offered plenty going forward, as they average 1.5 goals for and 1.71 expected goals for.

However, the league leaders have given a reasonable amount away on their travels. They’ve conceded just 1.07 goals on the road, but they’ve shipped 1.46 expected goals, which tells us that teams can create against them.

From a betting point of view, ‘Over 2.5 Goals & Both Teams to Score’ stands out as a viable option.

For one reason or another, a case could be made for both teams ahead of this game, though backing the goals to arrive at Shanghai Stadium is a better option. When we consider that Shanghai have scored a pleasing average of 2.71 goals at home and that Beijin Guoan have scored an average of 1.5 goals on the road, coupled with the fact that the pair average a combined 3.59 expected goals for in their respective home and away games, it’s very easy to feel that the price available at present is a slightly generous one. After all, we’re talking about the two best attacks in the division.