Guangzhou Evergrande and Jeju United are hard to split

Guangzhou Evergrande v Jeju United
Midday, Tuesday

Back-to-back draws have given Guangzhou Evergrande some work to do in their battle to make the AFC Champions League knockout stages and the Chinese outfit could be set for a third successive stalemate when they host Jeju United.

Evergrande made the quarter-finals last season but drew four of their six group encounters and it should come as no surprise to see Italian boss Fabio Cannavaro encouraging his players to focus on their defensive responsibilities first.

The Chinese hosts have conceded just once in their two previous group meetings with Buriram United and Cerezo Osaka and may once again take the patient approach in their bid to topple Jeju.

Punters should expect Guangzhou to dominate the ball – they had 69 per cent possession when hosting Buriram – but they are becoming wasteful with their chances and the South Korean visitors should offer stiff resistance.

Jeju have won one and lost one of their opening two games but they more than held their own in a 1-0 reverse at home to undefeated group leaders Cerezo Osaka, winning the shot count 11-5.

Brazilian winger Magno Cruz is a real handful and may make his presence felt, while youngster Sung-Wook Jin played a big part in their run to the last 16 a year ago and should be better for the experience.

Bookmakers think goals are high on the agenda, but it may pay to go against the tide.

Both sides have kept it tight in their opening two matches and a pair of stubborn defences could cancel one another out.

Recommendation
Draw
1pt 16-5 bet365
Under 2.5 goals
1pt 5-4 Coral, Ladbrokes

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