Two teams in the bottom half of the Chinese Super League will meet on Thursday as Meizhou Hakka makes the journey to face Zhejiang Professional.
Both sides were able to progress in the Chinese FA Cup during their most recent outings which added some much-needed confidence into each squad heading into this fixture.
Match preview
Zhejiang head into this match in ninth place after a mixed start to the new campaign with four wins, three draws, and five defeats so far.
Despite that, they have found a groove as of late as their most recent victory in the Chinese FA Cup extended their current undefeated run to six games in a row.
This has been a prolific period for the team, seemingly finding their feet for the new campaign, particularly in front of goal.
Zhejiang have scored 16 times across this recent run of matches to showcase their offensive qualities, which they will now want to extend into this midweek encounter.
Considering the fact only one other team in the division has conceded more than their upcoming opponents, that is something that could end up continuing here.
Meizhou Hakka have been leaking in goals this season which is one of the reasons they currently find themselves sat in 13th position, just a single point above the relegation zone.
A defeat could not only sink them into that this week, but it could also leave them bottom of the Chinese Super League if other results end up going against them.
Milan Ristic's men did manage to get a victory in the Chinese FA Cup recently, but even that was something that came via a penalty shootout after the game finished 1-1.
Prior to that, it had been six matches without a win for Meizhou Hakka, which is one of the reasons they have slipped dramatically down the table.
With only a single victory on the road so far in the Chinese Super League, there is plenty of room for improvement heading into this one, and that is something they will be hoping kick-starts on Thursday.
Team News
The hosts will be without Dong Yu this time around after he was sent off during their most recent Chinese Super League match which will see at least one change defensively.
At the other end of the field, Gao Di is likely to feature after an impressive performance in that same match where he was able to get on the scoresheet.
The visitors have been using a 4-3-2-1 formation as of late which has been done to try and create a stronger balance in the team, which is something that could be useful in this particular match.
Yin Congyao is expected to lead the line for them here, fresh from scoring his second goal of the season in their previous league match.
Zhejiang Professional possible starting lineup:
Zhao; Dongsheng, Sun, Leung, Yue; Li, N'Doumbou; Ewolo, Di, Kouassi; Mushekwi
Meizhou Hakka possible starting lineup:
Cheng; Yue, Pan, Dugalic, Rao; Shi, Kosovic, Yang, Ye, Yang; Yin
We say: Zhejiang Professional 2-0 Meizhou Hakka
Meizhou Hakka might find themselves in the relegation zone with a defeat in this match, but that thought alone is not likely to be enough to stop Zhejiang from taking all three points, largely down to the poor defensive form of the visitors.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
