Prediction World Cup Qualifying - Singapore vs China

World Cup Qualifying - Singapore vs China
Match Time: 21-03-2024 20:30 Thursday (GMT+8)
Football Livescore | Match Prediction & Tips
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Singapore

Singapore return to World Cup Qualifying action for the first time in 2024 on Thursday in search of their first points in the second-round group stage, having progressed through a knockout round to reach this point.

The Lions met Guam with a place in a qualifying group on the line, and they progressed with a 3-1 aggregate triumph, having won 2-1 on home turf and 1-0 away in October.

Their second-round bid then began with a tough trip to South Korea in November, and they left empty-handed following a 5-0 thrashing with Cho Gue-sung, Hwang Hee-chan, Son Heung-min, Hwang Ui-jo and Lee Kang-in on the scoresheet, before most recently hosting Thailand and suffering a 3-1 loss, despite drawing level in the 41st minute through Shawal Anuar, as Suphanat Mueanta settled the contest with a second-half brace.

Having missed out on the AFC Asian Cup at the beginning of the new year, Singapore will now play their first football of 2024 and bid to move level with their visitors with a first win of the qualifying campaign on Thursday.

China

China, meanwhile, will set out to crack the top two in the group on Thursday, having earned three points from their first two outings last year after receiving a bye past the first round.

Bidding to reach a first World Cup since 2002 and the second in their history, the Dragon's Team began in the second-round group with a trip to Thailand in November and came from behind to win 2-1, as Wu Lei levelled the scores on the half-hour mark and Wang Shangyuan netted the decisive goal 16 minutes from time.

Group favourites South Korea then visited Shenzhen, and China failed to make it back-to-back wins, coming away empty-handed as Son Heung-min netted a brace for the visitors and Jung Seung-hyun added a third in the dying minutes.

Now returning to action on the back of an unsuccessful AFC Asian Cup campaign, dropping out of the group stage without a victory, China now turn their focus to World Cup Qualifying under new management with Branko Ivankovic having taken over from Aleksandar Jankovic in February, and they will be keen to start their new era with three points to move into the two third-round qualification spots with three games to go.

Prediction: Singapore 1-3 China