Matchweek 4 in the Chinese Super League will see the first Jing-Jin Derby of the season. It is one of the most hostile and ferocious Derbies in the country. The rivalry can be traced to the proximity between the two teams: Beijing Guoan and Tianjin TEDA but both sets of fans will tell you it is much more than just distance. The two teams can trace their origin to the North China team which split to give the Beijing Football Club and Tianjin Football Club. The match has seen the destruction of property from fans as the intense games have spilt out of the stadium and onto the streets resulting in a ban on away supporters for a few seasons.
Beijing could not have asked for a better result in the Beijing Derby as they thrashed city rival Beijing Renhe by four goals thanks to goals from Jonathan Soriano, Yu Yang, Jonathan Vieira and Yu Dabao. The win propelled them to 5th place in the League and gives them momentum ahead of this important clash. Beijing are definitely favourites heading into this one and could move into the Champions League places should they win and other results go their way. They have found some form of late and are on the back of three consecutive victories after their opening day reverses against Shandong Luneng.
Tianjin TEDA’s inconsistent start to the new campaign continued as they slipped to a 2-1 win against Jiangsu Sainty. They had themselves to blame as TEDA capitulated late into the second half with two goals conceded in the space of two minutes. But it was a much closer game that could have gone either way. Both teams were guilty of squandering chances and da Silva’s goal in the 81st minute lead to a nervy ending but it wasn’t enough for even a draw. TEDA’s season started with a draw and a defeat before a victory over rivals Tianjin Quanjian that lifted the morale around the club but the latest result was yet another blow to the team. They are definitely up against it this weekend and defeat could be a huge psychological blow given the circumstances but a positive result could galvanize the team ahead of an important month.
Beijing Player to watch: Jonathan Soriano might be the obvious name for Beijing but Wei Shihao has been a joy to watch this season. Already has two league goals to his name and has impressed this term.
Tianjin Player to Watch: Frank Acheampong was the hero of the match against Quanjian and his team will be backing him to come up with the goods yet again in this clash of huge proportions.
My Prediction: Last weekend, I predicted Beijing would come on top and they did lifting me up to football journalism elite. This week too I am placing my money on Bejing and expect them to get a comfortable 3-1 victory.
KICK OFF: The game kicks off at 9:35 pm in the United Kingdom