As night falls, the 25th round of the Central League is in full swing, marking the opening of the penultimate round of the third stage of the competition. With only one round of matches left in the third stage, Meizhou Hakka is leading the pack with an impressive record of 61 points, and the pattern of the Super League is becoming clearer and clearer.
In this round, Meizhou continued their incredible 9-game winning streak with a 4-1 victory over Jiangxi Beidamen. If they can avoid the challenge of Suzhou Dongwu in the 26th round match on October 3, Meizhou will wear the "leader" crown and enter the final stage of the competition with their heads held high.
Under the rule of direct promotion of the top two and the third or fourth place for the elevation playoff, the difference in points between the top four and the following teams in the Central League is widening. On the table, Meizhou is in sole possession of the lead with 61 points, while Nantong Zhiyun in 5th place has only 43 points. With the last 9 rounds of the league remaining, the gap between Meizhou and the 5th place has reached 18 points, a significant lead. The possibility of Meizhou dropping out of the top four is extremely low, and the team seems to have already locked up the top four goal set at the beginning of the season.
After Meizhou Hakka, Wuhan Sanzhen, Chengdu Rongcheng and Zhejiang Pro are still in the thick of the action as the three teams battle it out for direct promotion. As the three teams have yet to play each other this season, it means that in the final stage of the league, the top four teams in the Central League will face off in a last-ditch duel for promotion.
In addition, as a result of
China Super League (soccer league)
The league's current situation is more complicated, Guangzhou, Hebei, Qingdao, Chongqing and Wuhan and a number of other clubs are in dire financial straits, whether they will be able to compete in next season's
China Super League (soccer league)
It is not yet clear. Therefore, the possibility of the top four in the Central League joining hands to upgrade can not be ruled out. However, at this stage, it is not time to consider the replacement of the promotion, the "BIG 4" still need to fight for direct promotion goals.
Central League Table - Top 8
Team | Points
1. Meizhou Hakka | 61
2. Three Wuhan towns | 58
3. Chengdu Hibiscus | 55
4. Zhejiang Vocational | 55
5. Nantong Zhiyun | 43
6. Kunshan FC | 43
7. Chang'an Athletics | 41
8. Heilongjiang Bingcheng | 38
