In the 16th round of the tournament, the former kings of Guangzhou will face the newly promoted Chengdu Rongcheng in an intense battle at the Wuyuanhe Stadium in Haikou. The referee for the match is Beijing-based Ma Li, and his assistants are also quite strong: first assistant Tang Chao, second assistant Yang Yang and video assistant referee Wang Zhe, all from Beijing; and fourth official Zhen Wei, a native of Tianjin, who was honored with the title of "Golden Sentinel" in the Central League. In addition, assistant video assistant referee Zhang Meilin is from Qingdao, and referee supervisor Huan Rancheng is from Shanghai.
As far as the standings are concerned, the intensity of this match should not be underestimated. Despite losing 0-2 to Cangzhou Lions in the first round of the first stage after the reinforcement, Guangzhou is still ranked 16th and facing great relegation pressure. Facing promotion rival Chengdu Rongcheng, they are bound to go all out for points.
Chengdu Rongcheng, on the other hand, is on a roll, with high morale from their recent victories over tough opponents, and they are eager to beat Guangzhou for their fourth consecutive win. Against this backdrop, it is hard to predict how exciting this match will be.
Meanwhile, another kick-off event took place at the Mission Hills Soccer Base Stadium in Haikou between Cangzhou Lions and Shandong Taishan. It was also an early Round 16 match, with referee Tang Shunqi from Chengdu, his assistants including Liu Xing from Henan, Zhao Wei from Beijing, and fourth official Niu Minghui. Video assistant referee Zhang Long is from Xi'an, assistant video assistant referee He Long is from Liaoning, and referee supervisor Aramus is from Guangzhou.
From the paper strength point of view, the second place in the standings of Shandong Taishan strength clearly superior, but their foreign aid problem is serious, even if Sun Junhao return, I am afraid it is difficult to immediately lift the isolation, to participate in the game. This will undoubtedly have an impact on the team's offensive and defensive strength.
Cangzhou Lions are back in form after ending their embarrassing 9-round winless streak with a big win over Guangzhou in the last round. Although the legal difficulty may be relatively low, the refereeing team will need to remain on high alert given the previous experience.
