Central Coast Mariners
In the 2024-25 AFC Elite League East Asia performance can be described as dramatic, the first three rounds of the game suffered three consecutive defeats (1-3 against Shandong Taishan, 2-3 loss to Shanghai Harbour, lost to Buriram United), embarrassing ranked in the bottom two of the standings, scored 4 goals conceded 8 goals, goal difference of -4, so that can be said to be out of the division before the first "bad" first! It can be said to be a "decline" before the start of the campaign. In the Australian Premier League, the situation does not seem to be much better, the first three rounds of the 2024/25 Australian Premier League season started with three consecutive draws (with Melbourne Victory, Adelaide United, Perth Glory), and is currently only ranked 8th in the standings.
Shanghai Shenhua (soccer team)
The performance of Shanghai Shenhua is relatively stable and competitive. In the first 3 rounds of the AFC Elite League, Shanghai Shenhua achieved 2 wins and 1 loss, accumulating 6 points and ranking 4th in the East Asia Region. their ability to play at home is particularly good, in the group stage of the AFC Champions League, Shenhua defeated Pohang Ironmen and Kawasaki Vanguard, two strong Japanese and Korean teams at home. Especially against Kawasaki Frontale, the opponent was sent off with a red card for a foul only 4 minutes into the game, and Shenhua won 2-0 by virtue of their numerical advantage. However, when playing away from home, Shanghai Shenhua suffered a 0-3 defeat against Johor Bahru, a dark horse team from Malaysia.
It is worth mentioning that Shanghai Shenhua and Central Coast Mariners have no history of meeting in the AFC Champions League. But the performance of the Central Coast Mariners in the AFC Champions League is not outstanding, 11 times against the Chinese Super League team, only 3 wins, 2 draws and 6 losses, of which 2 draws and 3 losses on the road against the Chinese Super League team has not won. In this match, Shanghai Shenhua may encounter certain challenges as an away game. However, the Central Coast Mariners' home performance is not eye-catching, coupled with Shanghai Shenhua's rich experience of playing away from home in the AFC Champions League, the team's ability to adapt is relatively strong.
A comprehensive analysis predicts a victory for Shanghai Shenhua in this match.
