The Chinese Super League returns to action as Dalian Pro and Shanghai Shenhua go head to head at the Dalian Sports Centre Stadium on Thursday.
The hosts head into the midweek contest looking to get one over their visitors, having failed to win any of the last six meetings between the teams since May 2019.
Dalian Pro failed to pick up a third consecutive win last Saturday as they could only salvage a 2-2 draw against Beijing Guoan when the sides met at the Puwan Stadium.
Prior to that, Xie Hui’s side claimed an impressive 5-1 victory over Shenzhen on September 1 to end their two-game winless run before beating Hebei 2-1 in their subsequent match on September 20.
With 19 points from 17 matches, the Blue Hawks are currently 12th in the Super League standings, level on points with 13th-placed Shenzhen and eight points above Guangzhou FC in the relegation zone.
While Dalian Pro will be seeking to move clear of the relegation zone, they face an opposing side who they have failed to defeat in their last six meetings.
Meanwhile, Shanghai Shenhua maintained their fine run of results as they claimed a 1-0 victory over sixth-placed Meizhou Hakka last Tuesday.
The Flower of Shenhua are currently unbeaten in each of their five most recent matches, recording three wins and two draws since a 2-0 defeat to Chengdu Rongcheng on August 17.
Wu Jingui’s side have claimed nine wins, six draws and lost two of their 17 matches this season to collect 33 points and sit third in the league table.
While they will be looking to strengthen their claim for a Champions League spot, they have struggled for results on the road, where they have won just one of their seven games, losing twice and recording four draws since June.
Dalian Pro vs Shanghai Shenhua head to head
These two teams have previously met on 15 occasions, where Dalian have claimed three victories while Shanghai have won seven, and they have drawn in five. Dalian have scored 16 goals and conceded 22 in the process. In their last five meetings, Shanghai have won three while they have drawn twice.
Shanghai Shenhua 2-1 Dalian Pro 20/10/19
Shanghai Shenhua 2-2 Dalian Pro 10/08/20
Dalian Pro 1-1 Shanghai Shenhua 14/09/20
Shanghai Shenhua 3-2 Dalian Pro 19/07/21
Dalian Pro 2-4 Shanghai Shenhua 09/08/21
Dalian Pro latest home form
Dalian Pro have recently been on a good run of form at home, as they have been unbeaten in their five most recent matches. They drew 2-2 with Beijing Guoan in their last home game in the league. In their last five matches, they have scored 12 goals and conceded five.
Dalian Pro 1-1 Shanghai Port 06/08/22
Dalian Pro 2-0 Cangzhou Mighty Lions 18/08/22
Dalian Pro 5-1 Shenzhen 01/09/22
Dalian Pro 2-1 Hebei FC 20/09/22
Dalian Pro 2-2 Beijing Guoan 24/09/22
Dalian Pro latest away form
Dalian Pro have recently failed to keep a good run of form on the road, having won just one of their 10 most recent matches. They lost 4-2 to Meizhou Hakka in their last away game in the league. In their last five matches, they have scored five goals and conceded nine.
Shangdong TaiShan 3-0 Dalian Pro 21/06/22
Guangzhou City 0-3 Dalian Pro 28/06/22
Zhejiang Professional 2-0 Dalian Pro 06/07/22
Guangzhou FC 0-0 Dalian Pro 24/08/22
Meizhou Hakka 4-2 Dalian Pro 28/08/22
Shanghai Shenhua latest home form
Shanghai Shenhua have recently been on a relatively good run of form at home, having lost just one of their five most recent matches. They defeated Meizhou Hakka 1-0 in their last home game in the league. In their last five matches, they have scored four goals and also conceded four.
Shanghai Shenhua 0-0 Changchun Yatai 05/08/22
Shanghai Shenhua 0-2 Rongcheng 17/08/22
Shanghai Shenhua 1-1 Tianjin JMT 21/08/22
Shanghai Shenhua 2-1 Shangdong TaiShan 31/08/22
Shanghai Shenhua 1-0 Meizhou Hakka 20/09/22
Shanghai Shenhua latest away form
Shanghai Shenhua have recently been on a relatively good run of form on the road, having lost just one of their five most recent matches. They drew 1-1 with Zhejiang Professional in their last away game in the league. In their last five matches, they have scored eight goals and conceded eight.
Shanghai Port 1-1 Shanghai Shenhua 29/06/22
Wuhan Three Towns 4-2 Shanghai Shenhua 03/07/22
Wuhan Yangtze 2-2 Shanghai Shenhua 12/07/22
Beijing Guoan 0-2 Shanghai Shenhua 26/08/22
Zhejiang Professional 1-1 Shanghai Shenhua 10/09/22
Dalian Pro news
Borislav Tsonev, who has scored in his four games since his summer move from Slavia Sofia, scored against Beijing Guoan last Saturday and will be looking to add onto his tally.
Newly-signed midfielder Nemanja Bosancic is a major doubt for Dalian Pro after he was hauled off with an injury at the weekend.
Shanghai Shenhua news
Shanghai Shenhua will have to make do without the services of Denny Wang Yi after he missed the game against Meizhou Hakka last Tuesday through injury.
Jingui Wu could name an unchanged back four of Jiabao Wen, Yangyang Jin, Shenglong Jiang and Jiabao Wen, with Cheng Zeng between the sticks.
Prediction and Odds
Shanghai Shenhua have enjoyed the better of this fixture in recent years and enter the contest as slight favourites to come out on top on Thursday.
While Dalian Pro are sure to put up a fight, we are backing the visitors to come away with all three points, though a draw is also possible.
Odds: 1 2.30 X 2.02 2 2.20
Probable outcomes
Dalian Pro 0-1 Shanghai Shenhua
Dalian Pro 0-2 Shanghai Shenhua
Dalian Pro 1-2 Shanghai Shenhua
Dalian Pro 0-0 Shanghai Shenhua
Dalian Pro 1-1 Shanghai Shenhua
