Henan Jianye vs Shanghai SIPG Prediction: A Tight Contest Between Two Evenly Matched Sides

As they head to Zhengzhou Hanghai Stadium for their 16th matchday, Shanghai SIPG find themselves bundled up in ninth place in the Super League as a result of their poor performance. Will Henan Jianye hand them a loss on a silver platter or will they be able to claim victory?

Form: LWDLL

Disappointed with their recent set of results they've been getting thus far, they are now boxed in a corner as they have to maintain their third place position, which may as well be in peril if they were to suffer a setback versus Shanghai SIPG.

They suffered a 1-0 home loss to Tianjin Teda, which has been a major setback for their ascent in the super league standings. As a result, they are now tied for third place with Meizhou Hakka on points.

Prior to that, they had come off a productive match which saw them secure a 2-1 victory against struggling Guangzhou City, who are placed in the bottom second of the relegation zone.

Form: DWDWD

A heavy load is currently circling around them, leaving them weary as they are currently at a standstill in the super league as their performance has not reflected a team that had finished second in their previous season.

The Cangzhou Mighty Lions put up quite a resolute defense to keep them at bay, and they were forced to settle for a point in a game they could have easily won on the spot. The game ended in a goalless draw with only one shot on goal taken throughout the entire 90 minutes to reflect their performance.

With 25 points, they are currently in ninth place in the super league standings, one point behind Beijing Guoan, who are in eighth. When they face Henan Jianye, there probably won't be much room for error because they have the advantage of starting things off and reclaiming their sixth place, which they are 6 points behind in.

There have been a lot of draws in their last five games, but they have also had two wins and three draws, totaling 9 points, which is a respectable number of points to say the least.

• In their last six Super League away games, Shanghai SIPG have failed to score in one of those games.
• Henan Jianye have given up a goal in each of their previous five Super League contests.
• Shanghai SIPG has won their past five Super League games, all against Henan Jianye, without suffering a defeat.
• When both these teams meet, the average number of goals between them is 3.2.

In the last 12 meetings, Shanghai SIPG has won 9 times, Henan Jianye has won twice, and one match has ended in a draw. Shanghai SIPG has a 26-10 goal differential advantage.

However, Shanghai SIPG's recent matches have shown a slight lack of finishing skills, which would have allowed them to record more convincing victories and preserve their ranking.

They must have already realized the repercussions of their actions, which caused them to fall from sixth to ninth, a hefty price to pay for their recent lackluster performance.

The bar was set very high for Henan Jianye to get within striking distance of second-place Shandong Taishan, but things haven't worked out that way, as they are now 12 points behind.

They will be treading carefully in order to discover the breakthrough they need, which might result in them keeping all three points if possible, as the need to recover from their loss to Tianjin Teda is so acute it cuts through the air.

Henan Jianye should be able to break through Shanghai SIPG's impenetrable wall, and even though we may see Shanghai SIPG use their superior defense, this should result in both teams scoring.

• Both Teams To Score (Yes) for 1.95
• Handicap Corners 2 -1 for 1.75
• Full-time Result - Shanghai SIPG for 1.92