While much of the attention in the Chinese Super League is at the top of the table, there is an intriguing battle developing at the bottom.
With two relegation places in the division, at least 5 clubs are still within danger of being in those places come the end of the season and facing the drop to the division below. Two of those teams are Yanbian Funde and Tianjin Teda.
In fact, these are the bottom two clubs in the Chinese Super League and they meet in a massive relegation clash on Wednesday night. Yanbian Funde are bottom of the table, 5 points adrift of Tianjin Teda and desperately need to win this match if they are to give themselves any chance of avoiding relegation this season.
Yanbian Funde Form
Yanbian Funde have endured a terrible season in the Chinese Super League to date and must starting winning games if they are to move up the table.
They have lost each of their last 5 league games, failing to score in 3 of them and conceding at least twice in each. Across those 5 games, Yanbian Funde have conceded 18 goals at an average of 3.6 goals per game.
They have won just 2 matches from 20 all season and have won only 1 match at home, which came back in April. Yanbian Funde are 8 games at home without a win and have lost their last 5 at the Yanji Nationwide Fitness Centre Stadium.
Tianjin Teda Form
Tianjin Teda are also in bad form coming into this match but will see it as an opportunity to get back to winning ways. They have failed to win any of their last 8 competitive games, losing 4 in the league and 1 in the FA Cup. You must go back to the beginning of June to find the last time Tianjin Teda won a match which was a good 2-1 home win against Shanghai Shenhua.
Away from home in the Chinese Super League Tianjin Teda have failed to win a match all season. They have drawn 4 and lost 6 of their 10 away games. They have failed to score a goal in 8 of those 10 games and have netted only twice away from home in the league all season.
Team News
Yanbian Funde will be hoping striker Bubacarr Trawally is fit because without the Gambian they will struggle to score goals. They are expected to start in a 5-3-2 formation, with Piao Shihao and Han Guanghui operating as wing-backs. Tianjin Teda are likely to line-up in a similar style to the hosts, with Mbaye Diagne leading the line with support from Frank Acheampong and Yang Liyu in wide areas.
Top Betting tips
This is a tough match to call as both teams are in such poor form and have struggled when playing either home or away. Yanbian Funde have forgotten what it is like to win in-front of their own fans and Tianjin Teda have yet to win a game away from home this season.
The draw seems to be the most likely outcome at 5/2 with William Hill. Scoring goals has been a real problem for both teams in the Chinese Super League and while the opposition has had no problem in putting goals past them, they may struggle against each other. Under 2.5 goals is on offer at 19/20 with Unibet. With little in the way of attacking talent, this match could easily end 0-0, especially as both teams will be concerned about not losing the match. The 0-0 correct score is 10/1 with Ladbrokes.