China vs Syria: Match Preview and Prediction

China vs Syria
World Cup Qualifier – Asian Qualifier
Date: Thursday, 6th October 2016
Kick-off: 12:35 UK
Venue: Shaanxi Province Stadium, Xi’an, China.

China were handed a tough start to their World Cup 2018 Qualification campaign as they were drawn against South Korea and Iran in the first two fixtures of the third round. Both these sides are favourites to win the group with China having an outside chance of mounting an upset.

However, they lost to Korea 3-2 on the opening day, but not without mounting a serious fight after going 3 goals down around the hour mark. And they were much more disciplined against Iran and earned a priceless point after holding them to a goal-less draw. The Team Dragon sit 4th in the 6-team Group A and are in serious need of points when they face Syria at home on Thursday.

Syria on the other hand have earned a surprised draw against Korea in a match that both teams failed to score. They lost to Uzbekistan away from home on the opening fixture by a 1-0 margin and are looking for their first win of the campaign. They are also level on points with their matchday 3 opponent China.

China vs Syria: Head-to-Head Stats

China have a good head-to-head record over Syria after winning in 4 of the 7 meetings against them. While Syria managed 2 wins and one match ended in a draw.

Also, five of the seven meeting between China and Syria have seen over 2.5 goals.

Their latest meeting was in a friendly on October 2010, which finished 2-1 in favor of China at the Kunming Tuodong Sports Center Stadium.

China vs Syria: Prediction

China have played some exciting football in their first two matches of the campaign. But they were unable to keep the concentration levels consistent for the full 90 minutes. Now they have a perfect chance to earn their first win of the third group stage, considering they are unbeaten at home Syria at home with 3 wins and a draw from the last 4.

While Syria have struggled against high quality opponents in recent years. An example of which is their two defeats against Japan in the second group stage conceding 8 goals in total. So expect nothing less than a Chinese victory from this World Cup qualifying fixture.

Correct Score Prediction: 2-0 win for China at 6.00 (5/1).