Preview: Guangzhou City vs Zhejiang Professional – Prediction, Team News, Lineups

Early Chinese Super League fighters Guangzhou city and Zhejiang professional face off at Yuexiushuan Stadium on Monday to kick-start their 2022 campaigns.

The hosts go into Monday’s game with four straight defeats at the start of the new season, while the visitors aren’t much better off after a difficult first few weeks for the newly promoted side.

game preview

The 2022 season couldn’t be much worse for Guangzhou City ahead of Monday’s fifth game of the season.

As mentioned above, at the start of the new season, the hosts lost each of their four opening games, scoring just one goal.

As a result, Jean Paul van GastelThe team of will start the game in safety in the last three places, two places and as many points behind their opponents.

The Dutchman’s side were helpless in a one-sided game against Henan Songshan Longmen on Wednesday, with Guangzhou dominating from start to finish in a 3-0 defeat on home soil.

There is still plenty of time to reverse their disappointing start, but it already seems like a tough task for them to repeat an impressive ninth-place finish in the regular season in 2021, which was badly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Meanwhile, as mentioned earlier, Monday visitors don’t find life all that much better as things stand.

After promotion to the top division in China, Zhejiang has started the Super League season with four games without a win, having drawn two and lost two of their opening games so far.

Former coach of Barcelona youth team Jordi Vinyls is the man at the top, but the Spaniard has struggled to help his side rise to another level in terms of quality.

Although Zhejiang will start with their first win of the season against a fellow contender on Monday, Zhejiang will have history against them when they take to the pitch at the Yuexiushan Stadium.

Guangzhou and Zhejiang haven’t met in almost six years – since their Chinese Super League clashes in 2016 – and after the visitors lost both meetings this season on Monday, it’s an unwelcome record of seven straight defeats, They’ll be looking to end with their return to the top flight.

Guangzhou City Chinese Super League Form:

Form of Zhejiang Professional Chinese Super League:

Team News

Although a five-man defense hasn’t brought any performance or results for Guangzhou in the last three games, Van Gastel is unlikely to change his team’s form all that much on Monday.

Hong Kong Gui was substituted with a knockout in last weekend’s 3-0 defeat by Henan Chen Zhizhao and Tixiang Li could be vying for the role of lone striker in attack, with Gastel having very few alternatives to choose from.

As for the visitors, Vinyals is struggling with some fresh injury concerns ahead of Monday’s trip to Guangzhou.

Yue Xin and Haoran Zhong Both had to play late in the 1-1 draw against Dalian Pro on Thursday due to injury Yudong and Junsheng Yao among the options that are likely to be justifiable.

Former Croatian international Franko Andrijasevic and the veteran Zimbabwe striker Nyasha Mushekwi should lead the line again.

Guangzhou City possible starting line-up:
cheng; Wei, Yuncheng, Huang, Jinliang, Yi; Tan, Zhang, Li, Wang; Zhizhao

Zhejiang Professional possible starting lineup:
Zhao; Tianyu, Zheng’ao, Leung, Dong; Ewolo, Yao, Gu, Jin; Mushekwi, Andrijaasevic

We say: Guangzhou City 0-1 Zhejiang Professional

There doesn’t seem to be too much going on between these two struggling sides ahead of Monday’s clash, meaning a boring football game could well be played out.

Goals are unlikely as both sides have three each in their first four games so one goal could be enough to secure all three points and Zhejiang looks the most likely to deliver the killing blow.

For data analysis of the most likely outcomes, goal scores and more for this game, please click here.

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