China - Maldives: Will China live up to their status as favourites in this match?
On Thursday, September 24, we have a friendly match between China and the Maldives, which kicks off at 1:35 PM CET. I am offering a bet on it.
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China - Maldives: Match preview
The China national team last played in June, during the international window for friendly matches ahead of the World Cup. They beat Singapore 2:1 and drew 0:0 with Thailand. The team did not qualify for the World Cup itself. In qualifying, China finished fifth in the third round, collecting nine points from 10 matches. That was not enough to advance to the next stage.
The Maldives also did not play at the 2026 World Cup, which is hardly surprising. The team failed to get past even the first round of qualifying. They lost 2:3 to Bangladesh. After that, the Maldives tried to qualify for the Asian Cup but also failed to advance. The team stumbled in the third round, collecting just three points from six matches. As a result, they finished third and once again missed out on a major tournament. The Maldives' most recent matches were three friendlies in which they failed to win any: a 0:1 defeat to Afghanistan, a 0:3 loss to Pakistan and a 1:1 draw with Bangladesh U23.
Match facts and H2H
- China have lost just one of their last six matches.
- The Maldives have won just once in their last six matches.
- The Maldives have conceded in each of their last eight matches.
Probable lineups
- China: Dalei, Jiang Shenglong, Zhu Chenjie, Yang Zexiang, Li Lei, Li Yuanyi, Wang Shangyuan, Zhang Yuning, Wei Shihao, Lin Liangming, Abduweli
- Maldives: Shareef, Rasheed, Hassan, Shifaz, Numan, Naim, Nihan, Aisham, Fasir, Raif, Mohamed
Prediction
China are clear favourites for this match, and I think the team can win the game. I am offering a bet on China's individual total of over 3.5 goals at odds of 1.55.
