The Chinese stars are in for one last hurrah!

The Chinese stars are in for one last hurrah!

China PR vs Korea Republic

Sitting at the bottom of Group A in the Asia World Cup qualifiers, China’s chances of making it to Russia aren’t that high. They can even be considered all but eliminated as they will need to win all their remaining football games if they want to make the cut. However, if they can perform better than they did in their first meeting with the Koreans last September, online gambling fans could be in for a thriller.

Sure enough, betting odds won’t sway in China’s favour; but if there’s one thing you should know about this highly-anticipated affair, Team Dragon’s manager – Marcello Lippi – isn’t someone you write off in a football match.

The World Cup winning manager is expected to bring his winning pedigree to China, and the fact that he sticks up with surprise call-ups like defender Deng Hanwen and midfielder Yin Hongbo while leaving out Zhang Chengdong and Sun Ke just shows that he’s brewing something to surprise the visitors at Changsha.

Coach Uli Stielike is more than aware of the danger waiting for his Taeguk Warriors, and he knows that the Chinese dragons will be a tougher nut to crack at home where they have conceded only one goal over their last three qualifying games.

To make matters worse for South Korea, they will be without the high-scoring Son Heung-min due to suspension. Hence, Stielike will be forced to rely on his K-League-based forwards as well as recent call-ups Kim Shin-wook and Lee Jeong-hyeop.

Of course, Augsburg standouts Koo Ja-cheol and Ji Dong-won will provide the Koreans with an intimidating presence on the wing, but China’s experience from the China Cup—where they also beat a heavily favoured Croatia team—should give them enough mental strength to withstand and overcome whatever the Taeguk Warriors throw at them.

This match should be a little cagier than their first meeting, especially with the home fans looking to create a hostile environment for the visitors. With that said, taking the risk on China Asian Handicap +0.50 that pays 1.70 is a punt worth considering.

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