Zhejiang Professional vs Shandong Taishan Prediction: Expecting The Total To Go Over!

Zhejiang Professional will be on the lookout to avoid another similar outcome that saw them suffer a 2:1 defeat last time out against Shandong Taishan as they play host to them at the Huzhou Olympic Sports Center in the 18th round of the Super League.

Will home advantage see Zhejiang Professional thwart their opponents chances of climbing up the standings, or will they be the ones to suffer defeat despite having the unwavering support of their fans?

Let's have a look at the latest Chinese Super League predictions between Zhejiang Professional FC vs Shandong Taishan, probable lineups, match facts, and betting odds for you to consider!

Form: WDLLW

Starting with the hosts, Zhejiang Professional were quite the impressive side in their match against Tianjin Teda in front of their own supporters as they went from a goal down to blast their way to a dramatic 2:1 win.

With Leonardo's 33rd minute goal disallowed for offside, Robert Beri put his side ahead in the 35th minute, which meant Jordi Vinyals' men were down a goal in the first half. However, that goal had little effect on deterring their composure, as they went on to score two goals in the second half on the strength of Nyasha Mushekwi (70') and Leonardo (74').

That win has been a drop of added confidence, as they are now on a two-match unbeaten run after a thrilling 2:2 draw against Changchun Yatai. However, that's just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the Green Giants form, as they have only suffered two losses in their last eleven matches, picking up six wins and three draws in the process, mainly thanks to their offense, which saw them score a whopping 24 goals.

In the standings, they presently occupy ninth place with 22 points, one point ahead of Cangzhou Mighty Lions FC in tenth place and three points behind eighth place.

Formation: 4-2-3-1

B. Zhao; Y. Xin, Lucas, L. Nok Hang, W. Dongsheng; Q. Jiegei, L. Tixiang; J. Kouassi, C. Jin, G. Di; N. Mushekwi

Form: DWWDW

As for the visitors, Shandong Taishan were a bit unfortunate not to have extended their winning run in the league to three matches in their most recent outing against Nantong Zhiyun as they settled for a 1:1 draw, which was a reasonable outcome at the end considering the situation they were in.

In that match, Jadson, who turned out to be an instrumental figure in the past two games, scoring in each, was shown a red card within fifteen minutes of the first half. Though not many sides would have coped under the pressure, they certainly did as they kept their composure, eventually breaking the impasse in the 65th minute through Crysan's goal, only to be caught napping in the closing stages to concede an equalizer.

Despite that draw, Taishan Dui have been in impressive form regardless, as they have not suffered defeat in their last thirteen matches across all competitions, picking up seven wins and six draws, a run that stems all the way to the second day of May, which goes to show they've established themselves as a formidable side without limitations.

In the standings, they presently occupy fourth place with 29 points, level on points with Tianjin Teda in fifth place, and are only a point behind a third-place finish; however, three points will prove to be sufficient in this case.

Formation: 4-1-4-1

D. Wang; T. Wang, Shi, Z. Zheng, Y. Liu; L. Liao; B. Liu, M. Magalhães, Y. Li, P. Chen; Crysan

• Zhejiang Professional have won only one of their last six matches against Shandong Taishan.
• Shandong Taishan are unbeaten in their last twelve Super League matches.
• Zhejiang Professional FC averages 1.5 goals per game when playing at home, and Shandong Taishan averages 1.1 goals per game when playing away.

The last meeting between these two sides was in the third round of the current CSL season, where Shandong Taishan managed to eke out a 2:1 victory in front of their supporters at the Jinan Olympic Sports Center Stadium thanks to goals from Moises and Guowen Sun.

In the last 22 meetings, Zhejiang Professional FC has won 7 times, Shandong Taishan has won 13 times, and there have been 2 draws, with the goal difference being 32-25 in favor of Shandong Taishan.

Zhejiang Professional were on a three-match losing run when playing at home in the league; however, that minor blip in form has been complimented by four wins and a solitary loss to Shanghai Shenhua from their last five matches at the Huzhou Olympic Sports Center, and there's no denying that they'll turn out to be a tough nut to crack in this one despite being labeled underdogs, where at the end they'll be content with a point in front of their supporters.

Shandong Taishan come into this fixture bearing the tag of favorites for good reasons, of course, having won six of their seven matches, and it's without a shadow of doubt that they'll want to maintain their dominance even further by claiming a comfortable win, which could see them propel in the standings, which makes anything other than a win in this one unacceptable.

This meeting between these two sides definitely has all the markings of a high-scoring affair, and given that thirteen of Zhejiang Professional's seventeen matches have exceeded the total over 2.5, it won't be too farfetched to expect the same trend to occur here. As such, we anticipate the total here to go over 2.5 goals, which should be enough to surface.

• Goals - Over 2.5 for 1.95
• W2 for 2.02
• Both Team To Score - Yes for 1.73