On the evening of December 27, Zhejiang lost 0-2 to Wuhan Sanzhen on the road, and still ranked third with 62 points. With the last round of the league left, Zhejiang, Shanghai Port and Chengdu Rongcheng have the same 62 points, and the qualification match for the AFC Champions League is exceptionally fierce.
According to the rules of the AFC, the Super League AFC Champions League quota for this season is 2+2. That is, the league and FA Cup champions will be directly shortlisted for the group stage of the AFC Champions League, while the runners-up and the second runner-up will participate in the play-offs. Currently, the top two in the league, Sanzhen and Taishan, have locked up two AFC Champions League places early, and the other two places will be generated in the FA Cup and the league.
Currently, the FA Cup is about to enter the top eight teams including Shandong Taishan, Wuhan Sanzhen, Shanghai Shenhua, Cangzhou Lions, Shanghai Port, Chengdu Rongcheng, Zhejiang Team and Jinan Xing. If the top three teams in the league win the FA Cup, the fourth place in the league will participate in the AFC Champions League.
Currently, Zhejiang, Seaport and Rongcheng have the same 62 points, ranking third to fifth in the table, and the three teams are competing for the qualification of AFC Champions League. In the last round, Zhejiang, Seaport and Rongcheng are all playing at home, and their opponents have no desire to play, which are Changjiang, Yatai and Dalian People.
Based on the strength comparison and current situation, Zhejiang, Harbor and Rongcheng have a higher probability of winning at the same time in the final round. However, there is uncertainty in soccer matches and the ranking of the three teams depends on their records in the final round.
It should be noted that if the three teams are tied, Zhejiang is ranked 1st (6 points), Seaport is ranked 2nd (5 points), and Rongcheng is ranked 3rd (3 points) in the three-team mini-cycle. If Zhejiang and Seaport share the same points, Zhejiang will prevail with 1 win and 1 draw. If Zhejiang and Rongcheng share the same points, both sides will have a 2 draw and Zhejiang will have a goal difference of 14. If Seaport and Rongcheng share the same points, Seaport will prevail with 1 win and 1 draw.
To sum up, Zhejiang took the initiative to compete for AFC Champions League qualification and can realize their dream by beating Changjiang in the last round. Harbor and Rongcheng can only hope that their rivals make mistakes while winning in order to qualify for the AFC Champions League through the league standings, otherwise they can only expect the FA Cup or the top three teams in the league to win the FA Cup.
