The fifth round of the 2023 Chinese Super League (CSL) kicked off on the evening of May 5 (tonight) at 19:35 GMT, with the first four matches starting at the same time. The CCTV continues to choose to let the Super League make way for the CBA. Although Liao Basketball beat Zhejiang Guangsha in the CBA semifinals on Sports Channel (CCTV5), two of the games were televised live on other platforms, some live on local platforms, and all the major Tencent platforms were live, but most of them were paid (coupons).
The Royal Liners Beijing Guoan visit Zhengzhou Maritime Stadium to challenge the relegated professional family Henan in the Chinese Super League away from home, live on the Beijing Radio and TV Sports and Leisure Channel. Beijing Guoan, coached by black coach Menzo, boasts a strong foreign contingent, as well as many new and old internationals who have been selected for the national soccer team, such as Zhang Yuning, Yu Dabao, Yang Liyu, Zhang Xizhe, Gao Tianyi, Wang Gang and many others. They are considered one of the favorites to win the title, but with a dismal opening record of 3 draws and 1 loss, the pressure on the whole team is immense. Henan has the same record as Guoan, with both teams scoring 3 points. Henan is 12th in the Chinese Super League standings, while Beijing Guoan is 13th. This is also a card battle. Guoan will try to get their first win of the season, but it won't be easy.
Old team Shanghai Shenhua hosted Dalian Ren, Shanghai Five Star Sports and Dalian Culture and Sports Channel, jokingly known as the Rolling Forehead Channel. Shenhua, coached by Wu Jingui, is rich and powerful. Although he dropped a number of veterans such as Feng Xiaoting and Zeng Cheng, and national soccer captain Wu Xi was absent due to injury, he still has fierce players such as Yu Hanchao, Cao Yunding, and Zhu Chenjie, and with 3 wins and 1 draw, he remains undefeated and is temporarily in second place. Former Shenhua player Xie Hui coaches Dalian Ren. Although the staffing is relatively average, Yan Xiangguan, Lv Peng, Lin Liangming and other veterans are fighting aggressively to finish in seventh place with five points, mixing it up with a number of teams. This duel is interesting.
Defending champion Wuhan Sanzhen hosts Zhejiang, also a big dark horse last season, on CCTV Sports Event Channel (CCTV5+) live TV. Last season, Wuhan Sanzhen, the new landlord of the Chinese Super League, staged a Chinese Super League version of the Kaiserslautern myth to win the league title. This season's lineup is still luxurious, with high-level foreign aid and international players such as Wei, Liu Dengzuo, Liu Yiming, Deng Hanwen, and Gao Junyi. After losing the first two rounds, they are starting to struggle. They have just won two consecutive games and moved up to fifth in the table with seven points, only three points behind leader Shanghai Port. Zhejiang, who finished third in the Chinese Super League and second in the Chinese Football Association Cup last season, have had a disastrous start to the season and are the only team to have lost four consecutive games and are bottom of the table with 0 points.
In terms of strength comparison, Wuhan Sanzhen has a clear advantage and is expected to make it three wins in a row.
Shenzhen team hosted Cangzhou Lions, CCTV Olympic Channel (CCTV16) live TV. Chen Tao coached Shenzhen team a number of executives and players were taken away for investigation. Gao Lin and Dai Weijun basically left the team, but they still made a good start under Achim Peng and Jiang Zhipeng, ranking 10th with 4 points.Cangzhou Lions, coached by 2002 World Cup honoree Zhao Junzhe, also said goodbye to fierce players such as Jose Canter and ranked 14th with 2 points. It's a duel between teams in the lower reaches of the table.
