Shandong Taishan vs Henan FC Prediction: Taishan Dui To Conclude The Season On A Positive Note

The 2022–23 China Super League reaches its climax with a showdown of titanic proportions as Shandong Taishan and Henan FC clash on the hallowed turf of Jinan Olympic Sports Center.

Form: DWWDW

Taishan Dui failed to keep their title hopes alive after being held to a 1-1 draw against Shanghai Port on the road in an intensified tussle that saw them and their opponents reduced to nine men on the field.

Having clinched the league title in the 2020/21 season, Taishan Dui have had to play second fiddle in the preceding seasons. Although they did come close last season, a goal differential turned out to be their downfall, which saw Wuhan Three Towns take up first place despite being level on points.

While the league title is now scratched off their bucket list, they still have something meaningful to play for, and that's a second-place finish where they currently reside with 55 points, maintaining a three-point advantage over third-placed Shanghai Shenhua and fourth-placed Zhejiang Professional.

Form: DWLDW

Despite a not-so-productive season, the Red Devils can still be proud of themselves for their valiant efforts to pull away from the bottom table in the standings in what seemed like they were in for a fight for survival to avoid relegation.

Their recent 1-1 draw against Changchun Yatai at home has seen them avoid defeat in two league matches, although that result didn't do any good in the standings.

With 36 points collected from 29 matches played so far, they still find themselves in tenth place; however, snatching all three points could possibly see them move up to ninth place in the standings.

• Shandong Taishan have only conceded two goals in one of their fourteen home matches in the Super League.
• Henan FC have won one of their last nine matches against Shandong Taishan.
• Shandong Taishan averages 2.57 goals per game when playing at home, and Henan FC averages 0.86 goals per game when playing away.

In the last 31 meetings, Shandong Taishan has won 16 times, Henan FC has won 7 times, and there have been 8 draws, with the goal difference being 52-37 in favor of Shandong Taishan.

While their dreams of a first-place finish have been dashed, Shandong Taishan have nothing meaningful to play for at this stage other than to conclude the season on a positive note in front of their fans and go up against a side they are currently on a two-match winning streak against. There's no doubt that the three points are theirs for the taking.

Henan FC have been poor on the road, winning one of their eight matches alongside six losses and a draw. This goes to show that a return to winning ways will be an uphill battle for the Red Devils, who will be handed a sound defeat away from home.

Having failed to score in three consecutive matches on the road in this fixture, Henan FC are unlikely to cause an upset in this one. As such, we anticipate the home side to cruise to a comfortable win combined with a total of under 4.5 goals, which should surface.

• W1 & TU 4.5 for 2.01
• Both Teams To Score - No for 2.15
• Corners - Over 9 for 2.10