China PR U23 vs Thailand U23 — Tips & Analysis

Thailand U23 +0.75: These two just do not beat each other. Three of the last four meetings finished level, a 2-2 in March, a 0-0 in January and a 0-0 last October. Across the last 5 meetings China have won one and Thailand have won one. China have built this tournament on not letting goals in. They let in less than a goal a game across their last 13 and have tied six of them, losing only once. They edged Korea DPR 2-1 and have since tied 0-0 with both Iran and the UAE. That is a side who make games small, not one who wins by a distance. Thailand have lost only 2 of their last 12 and they score 2 goals a game. They get Thanakrit Chotmuangpak and Sittha Boonlha back from suspension. China lose a player to a ban. Both teams have had only 3 days of rest before a knockout tie, and a level game after 90 minutes goes to extra time. A 1-1 is the likeliest finish, and that is just what Thailand want. The worry is where Thailand's goals have come from. They beat Hong Kong 5-1 and the Kyrgyz Republic 3-2, the bottom two of their group, then lost 0-3 to Japan. China are the more solid team. This matchup keeps producing level games, so we are happy to take the head start.