Shaanxi Union FC (Home)
- Shaanxi Union FC have won three, drawn one and lost only one of their last five games, so they are in good form ahead of the cup clash.
- They have won four, drawn four and lost two of their last ten in all competitions and only appear to struggle when opponents play well.
- In their most recent game, a 5-0 win away to lowly Foshan Nanshi FC, they appeared to be the superior side, but that result followed a 0-1 home defeat to Nanjing Fengfan.
Zhejiang Professional FC (Away)
- Ross Aloisi's Zhejiang Professional FC set up in a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 formation, and rely on their creative players to unlock the opposition defence with the ball.
- The Australian manager took over in January 2026 and has implemented a more structured, possession-based system with the Romanian foreign star Mitriță pulling the strings.
- Zhejiang have won only two of their last five away in all competitions (Drawn 1, Lost 2), conceding nine goals, an average of 1.80 per game.
Managers & Style
- Fraser, the Dutch manager has instilled a philosophy that is a mix of the Dutch total football and a pragmatic style based on defending deep, with rapid wing play and set pieces in attack.
- They like to play a 4-3-3 but will switch to deep defending and counterattacks when put under pressure, which they often are as their opponents are usually the better side on paper.
Betting Insights
Shaanxi Union FC are priced at 4.2 to win the game, but that seems a bit short, so we are going for 'Both Teams to Score - No' at 2.03 and 'Over 2.5 Goals' at 1.76 , as Shaanxi's recent form suggests they can get enough of a goal to beat the visitors.
Prediction
- This game has all the ingredients of a classic upset in the FA Cup 2026 and the home side should have enough to get the better of the favorites in front of their own fans.
- Shaanxi Union FC's defensive discipline and organisation should be able to frustrate the visitors in this fixture and with Mitriță marked, Zhejiang may not be as creative as they like.
