Chiangrai United vs Beijing Guoan 18/02/20

18 February 2020

Chiangrai United and Beijing Guoan come face-to-face at the United Stadium of Chiangrai in the AFC Champions League Group E clash.

The hosts have succumbed 1-0 to Melbourne Victory in their Group E curtain-raiser and go into this encounter on the back of a 1-1 away draw with Samut Prakan City in the domestic championship. Yet, the Beetles have won six of their last 11 matches in all competitions (D4, L1), with each of those successes producing a multiple-goal margin. Additionally, Masami Taki’s players have suffered only one loss in their past 14 competitive home fixtures (W9, D4), but none in the last ten. Impressively, five of their nine triumphs in that period have been followed by a clean sheet, with three of the last four seeing United score over 2.5 goals. Also, Chiangrai’s home action usually sparks into life after the break, as 12 of the previous 15 goals (scored/conceded) here came in the second half.

As for the visitors, they completed the last calendar year with a bang, winning four consecutive games ahead of the winter break. Notably, all of those fixtures have seen over 2.5 goals and both teams on the scoresheet, with each featuring at least one goal in both halves. Moreover, the Chinese heavyweights have racked up a five-game unbeaten away run (W4, D1), scoring two goals or more in all but one of those matches. The Imperial Guards have also been impressive in defense lately, restricting their rivals to a maximum of one goal per match in all eight of their previous road trips. But, a lack of concentration in the first half has seen them concede five of their last six away goals before the halftime break.