It is also worth mentioning that after the first away Asian Champions League group game, Taishan will play away against Dalian Ren twice in the Chinese Super League and FA Cup matches. In this regard, some fans believe that Taishan should have let Dalian off the hook in the league by fielding a full bench. In the next semi-final of the FA Cup, Dalian rewarded Shandong Taishan's goodwill by intentionally letting them off the hook, allowing them to advance easily and giving Taishan's starters enough fitness for their match against Wuhan Sanzhen, which will be played three days later.
However, these fans may have lost their memory, Taishan team still has the possibility to realize the possibility of winning the Chinese Super League title, and they will never give up any game, only then can they hope to overtake Harbour team and win the league title. Moreover, considering Cui Kangxi's relationship with the Dalian people, Taishan cannot just let go of their opponents.
As we all know, Dalian Ren was the first stop for Choi Kang-hee to land in the Chinese Super League, but after only half a season of coaching the team, there was a clash with the big-name foreign aiders in the team. At that time, the club chose to protect the foreign aid, give up Choi Kang-hee, and fired the Korean iron manager.
In this regard, Cui Kangxi's heart has always been very bitter, after coaching Shanghai Shenhua, every time they met Dalian team painfully hard. Therefore, facing his old master once again this season, old Cui will certainly show no mercy, and will have to double up on his opponents in both the league and the AFC Cup. By doing so, Taishan can regain the double title of the Chinese Super League this season.
This will make Dalian's hopes of relegation even slimmer. In the last six rounds of the league, besides Shandong Taishan, their other five opponents are Tianjin Jinmen Tigers, Beijing Guoan, Wuhan Three Towns, Qingdao Hainiu and Shanghai Port. Except for Qingdao Hainiu, the other four teams are much stronger than Dalian Ren, and Dalian Ren is afraid that they won't be able to get even a single point in these four matches.
Qingdao Manatees, as direct rivals with Dalian Ren for relegation, will surely go all out at home to win against Dalian Ren and gain the precious 3 points to complete the relegation task successfully. Doing the math, the Dalian Ren's relegation seems only theoretically possible this season...
