Nanjing City have had four hard fought games in a row and will be playing their final game. With the addition of players such as Jiang Zhe and Zhang Tianlong in the summer window, their overall strength has improved once again. In their first three games against direct rivals, Nanjing City first drew 1-1 away at Qingdao West Coast, then beat Jinan Xingzhou 2-1 away, then drew 0-0 at home with Guangxi Pingguo, winning 1 and drawing 2 to remain unbeaten. This time, we will challenge Sichuan Jiuniu on the road. If we can continue to be undefeated or even win, the hope of overtaking the Super League will be greatly increased.
Leader Guangxi Pingguo Hanyin will welcome the challenge of all-Chinese Suzhou Dongwu after two rounds of losses. This happens to be the "first and last dialog" between 8 teams with 20 points or more. On paper, Guangxi Pingguo has a clear advantage, further strengthened by the introduction of foreign aid Evolo from the Chinese Super League during the summer window. However, after two seasons, Suzhou Dongwu's style of play has become more and more mature, and even with an all-Chinese team, they have a strong fighting spirit. It's a good proof that they could draw with the other two favorites beyond Qingdao West Coast and Nanjing before this. The challenger leaders will certainly not want to go home empty-handed in this round.
Shijiazhuang Kung Fu has just won four consecutive matches, and this round hosts promotion rival Dandong Tengyue. The only goal for new coach Zhou Lin and his disciples must be to get all 3 points and win 5 consecutive games. Of course, Dandong Tengyue is full of toughness. In the last round, they could beat Jinan Xingzhou 1-0 away from home to prove it. Therefore, it is not easy for Shijiazhuang Kung Fu to get 3 points.
Qingdao West Coast, undefeated for three consecutive rounds, has gradually shown signs of falling behind from fifth place in the table. In this round, they face Guangzhou at home, looking to get all three points and get back on the winning track. This will require new coach Jankovic to deploy a new lineup, especially with former international Zhang Xiuwei joining the team, it is worth thinking about how to stimulate the maximum dynamic energy.
Guangzhou won their first three consecutive victories of the season after beating Yanbian Longding 2-0 in the last round, and new coach Salvador is in high morale as he remains undefeated since taking over. This time, they will go all out to win Qingdao.
Heilongjiang Bingcheng blossomed a lot in the last round, defeating Wuxi Wu Hook 6-2, which greatly inspired the fighting spirit. In this round, they traveled south to face the upgraded Ma Dongguan Union, hoping to continue the fire and get another 3 points. Dongguan Union, which has just introduced powerful players such as Zhao Mingjian and Zhang Xingbo, is a bit depressed after toppling leader Guangxi Pingguo Hanyin, and playing a draw with relegation zone team Shanghai Jiading Huilong in the last round. They are also aiming for 3 points in this round against Heilongjiang Bingcheng.
Jinan Xingzhou, who has just welcomed new coach Wei Xin, will play against bottom-ranked Wuxi Wuhu on the road in this round. Coincidentally, Wei Xin's previous team was Wuxi Wuhou. To be precise, 14 days ago, he was still the head coach of Wuxi Wuhou. This means he has just completed a new career and will be fighting against his old masters at the first opportunity. On the one hand, there's Jinan Xingzhou, with two consecutive losses at home, and on the other hand, there's Wuxi Wu Hook, who he's coached twice. This particular matchup is sure to leave Wei Xin with a unique feeling in his heart.
So far, Wuxi Wu Hook is very difficult to win, there is no way out but to try. New coach Li Yi Nan and assistant coach Xiao Zhanbo are also adjusting and optimizing their lineup. Although they beat Heilongjiang Bingcheng 2-6 in the last round, they could score 2 goals, which is a gain. After all, they only scored two goals in their first 12 games.
Shanghai Jiading Huilong, another team in the relegation zone, has yet to taste victory. In this round, they will hit the first win again. Yanbian Longding turned to Shanghai this time after defeating Guangzhou in the previous round. Facing the lowly opponent, they surely want to take away 3 points.
In the other match of this round, Liaoning Shenyang City and Jiangxi Lushan will meet head-to-head. Although both sides are not in the relegation zone, they are still in the danger zone as they are only 6 points ahead of the relegation zone. So this narrow encounter is also a 6-point war that is not destined to be uneventful.
