Leo Peterson
Dailysports's expert
Translated by the editors
On March 5, 2025, the Shanghai Stadium in China will host the first leg of the AFC Champions League Round of 16, where local side Shanghai Shenhua will take on Japan's Kawasaki. We're betting on goals in this match.
Preview
Shanghai managed to reach the Round of 16 by finishing 7th in the group stage. The team was particularly strong at home, securing three victories in four matches.
Interestingly, they have already faced Kawasaki in the group stage, where the Chinese club won 2-0 at home. However, this was largely due to an early sending off for the Japanese team: Marcinho received a red card in the 5th minute, leaving his team with ten men.
In the national league, Shanghai has played only two rounds so far, and the team has 4 points. In their last match, they played at home again but missed out on a win in the dying minutes, conceding to an opponent who was down to ten men.
Kawasaki confidently navigated the group stage, finishing second behind Yokohama. Notably, the defeat by Shanghai was their only away setback; in the other away matches, they won convincingly with an aggregate score of 8-0.
In the national championship, Kawasaki has collected 7 points after four rounds. The team was unbeaten until the last round, but recently suffered a surprising 0-1 defeat to Kyoto at home.
Possible Line-ups
- Shanghai Shenhua: Bao, Manafa, Fulangyisi, Yiang, Chan, Amadou, Wu, Wang, Andre Luis, Teixeira, Saulo Mineiro
- Kawasaki: Chong, Sasaki, Haidar, Kurumaya, Tanabe, Kawahara, Tachibanada, Veron, Yamauchi, Ito, Erison
Match Facts and H2H
- In Shanghai's last three home matches, the "Total Over 2.5" bet has consistently won
- Kawasaki is strong on the road, with five wins in their last six away matches. Only in one of these matches did the Japanese team fail to score more than one goal.
- Shanghai is consistent in attack, having scored in each of their last 25 home matches.
Prediction
Kawasaki has already proven their strength on the road, and the defeat in China during the group stage was more of an exception than the rule. Bookmakers consider the Japanese team the favorites, giving them a victory odds of 2.15. However, we suggest focusing on the match's goal-scoring potential. Kawasaki confidently scores away, and Shanghai also regularly delights fans with goals at home. We expect an open game and take "Total Over 2.5" with odds of 1.69.
