It is a bottom-of-the-table clash on Sunday in the Chinese Super League as Guangzhou aim to lift themselves off the foot of the division when they welcome Hebei to the Jinzhou Stadium.
Neither team has managed to pick up a single point at this stage of the season following the opening four games, which has left both in the relegation zone.
Match preview
It has been a difficult start to the season for Guangzhou as they are without a single point in their opening four matches to this point.
To make matters worse, Zhiyu Liu's team have not scored a goal in any of those encounters either, which has led to them being placed at the bottom of the league in the early stages.
Their most recent outing took place against Shanghai Port and saw them suffer a 1-0 loss following a goal from Feng Jin, which is the third time they have lost by such close margins.
The fact that three of their defeats have been so tight is something that will provide a glimmer of hope to the team, although they did get beaten 6-0 by Wuhan Tree Towns as well.
Three points could see Guangzhou climb as high as 13th due to how tight things are at the bottom of the league, and it would allow them to leapfrog their opponents as well.
Hebei have also failed to win a single match to this point in the season, and they have actually conceded more than the hosts on Sunday.
They have let in 11 goals in the opening four matches, shipping in at least two in every game they have played to this point in the Chinese Super League.
While they have managed to score twice so far, that has not been enough to grant them any results which is why the club finds themselves in the relegation zone.
Zhang Wei found the back of the net in their most recent outing, but the goal was in the 92nd minute and proved to be too little too late as they were beaten 3-1 by Shanghai Shenhua.
Wei has been a key focal point for the team this season, scoring both of their goals as he has proven to be the catalyst of their positive performances.
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Team News
Zheng Shengxiong could find himself returning to the starting lineup on Sunday after falling out of the team for the previous two matches.
While Ling Jie will be hoping to fire Guangzhou into their first goal of the season, which has been the main issue that they have suffered with throughout this campaign.
For the visitors Wei is the only player in the squad who has found the back of the net in the opening four games, and it would not be a surprise to see him earn a place in the starting XI.
Liu Jing was brought back into the starting XI for Hebei during their most recent performance, and the full-back is someone who could end up retaining his spot.
Guangzhou possible starting lineup:
Huo; Chen, Browning, Li, Wu; Huang, Yan, Wei; Asqer, Liy, Ling
Hebei possible starting lineup:
Bao; Liu, Zhang, Ren, Cui; Yao, Ding; Liao, Gao, Yang; Wei
We say: Guangzhou 1-0 Hebei
The hosts may not have scored a single goal yet this season, but all of that could change this weekend as they continue to push themselves to win their first match.
Three of Guangzhou's defeats have been close to this point, and because of that, this could now be the time that their fortunes begin to transform.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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