Two sides that are in desperate need of a win will clash this week when Qingdao Jonoon take on Shenzhen in the CSL, at the Qingdao Youth Football Stadium on Wednesday.
After earning promotion back to the top flight last term, the hosts have found it tough-going in the first half of the season and are currently the first side below the dotted line, while the visitors are just one point better off and could find themselves in the drop zone if they lose this match.
Match preview
Qingdao Jonoon finished second in the Chinese League Two last season, but they are yet to find their feet this term, having managed just 10 points after 15 matches, which is the same tally as Dalian Pro at the foot of the table.
The hosts were unable to hold on to a 1-0 lead against Cangzhou Mighty Lions in their last match, and Deabeas Owusu-Skyere's late equaliser means that Qingdao Jonoon have now failed to win any of their last eight league matches, which includes five losses and three draws.
The last time that they won a league match was in the middle of May against Meizhou Hakka, and since then, they have not kept a single clean sheet and failed to score in four of the next eight league games.
While Antonio Gomez's team have managed to secure eight of their 10 points on home soil, they are still the second-worst performing team at home this season, with a record of two wins, two draws and three losses in seven matches.
However, with only half the season complete and just five points separating the bottom six sides in the league, Gomez will know that a win here will be a huge result for his side as it will pull them out of the drop zone for the first time this season.
Despite finishing in 14th place last season, which is the same as they are currently placed this term, Shenzhen have arguably gone backwards in the first half of this campaign and are set to contest another relegation scrap unless they can find some form in the second half of the season.
The visitors suffered a crushing 5-0 loss to Beijing Guoan in their last match, which was their fifth consecutive loss and is a record that dates all the way back to the end of May.
They have managed just three wins, two draws and 10 losses this season and hold the undisputed worst away record in the league, drawing just one and losing five of their six matches on the road to date.
Shenzhen's biggest issue so far has been in defence, where they have shipped a massive 36 goals in 15 matches this season, which is also the worst record in the league by some distance, with the next closest being Meizhou Hakka on 27.
However, while their record this season leaves little to inspire confidence in their chances for this match, the one positive that Chen Tao's side can cling to is that they did win the reverse fixture 2-1 back in April, and another positive result here could give them the confidence boost they need to make a fist of it in the second half of the season.
Team News
Zheng Long is the only player that is missing for Gomez's side in this match, though he has missed the last six, and Elvis Saric should continue on the flank in his absence.
Evans Kangwa seemed to pick up a knock against Dalian Pro and was left out of the squad last week, which could mean that Felicio Brown Forbes will lead the line again in this match.
Ning Li's straight red against Beijing Guoan last week means that he will serve the first of his three-match ban in this one, while Yuan Zhang is currently on four yellows and at risk of a suspension for accumulation.
Tao made wholesale changes in that 5-0 loss last week, including the omission of his top scorer Frank Acheampong, who should return to the attack in this one.
Qingdao Jonoon possible starting lineup:
Mou; Wang, Liu, Andrejevic, Zhang; Zhong, Ma, Long, Saric, Song; Forbes
Shenzhen possible starting lineup:
Wei; Zheng, Yang, Yuan, Jiang; Liu, Xu, Huang, Ghojaehmet, Zhang; Acheampong
We say: Qingdao Jonoon 1-1 Shenzhen
Both these sides have been very poor this season, and it is hard to make a confident case for either of them to go on to win this match. It should be an entertaining one, with both teams expected to go all out for the win, but we feel that they will have to settle for a share of the spoils in the end.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Devesh Jaganath
