Tarzan Maejo battle rages on: a fight for survival
Meizhou Hakka, now with 27 points, can secure their place in the Chinese Super League with a win against Shandong Taishan. On the other hand, if they draw or lose, they can only hope for a loss from Hainiu and Xinpengcheng, leaving their fate in the hands of others.
Away from home, Meizhou Hakka face an even bigger challenge as Taishan are on fire and the strongest lineup deployed by Coach Choi Kang-hee - Zeca, Kressan and Kazayishvili - is not to be underestimated by their opponents.
However, the Taishan team is not flawless. They have an upcoming AFC Champions League match against Pohang Steelers at the end of the league season, and are worried about injuries to their star players and perhaps staying in the game.
Meizhou Hakka's recent form has picked up, with a win and a draw in the last two rounds. Players such as Rodrigo, Mali, Liao Junjian and Cheng Yuelei are performing well. Fighting for survival, they may be able to create a miraculous turnaround. In the first round, the two sides drew 0:0, and now the new Pengcheng drew Shenhua on the road, who can say whether Meizhou Hakka can beat Taishan!
Shenzhen Xinpengcheng meets Nanneng Zhiyun: victory and goal difference are both plentiful
Among the four relegation teams, Xinpengcheng is in an unfavorable position in terms of points, win-loss relationship and goal difference, making the road to relegation even more difficult. If all four teams win, Meizhou Hakka will definitely be relegated, while New Pengcheng will face the risk of relegation if it only wins a narrow victory, with the same 29 points as Hainiu and Cangzhou. Therefore, New Pengcheng must build the Great Wall of relegation for themselves with an overwhelming victory.
On paper, New Pengcheng is undoubtedly the strongest among the four teams. The five foreigners are like five swords with extraordinary skills, second only to Harbor in total value. However, the tactical system may not be fully integrated yet. Throughout the season, they were like scattered pearls, failing to string together into a dazzling necklace. Offensive sparks flashed from time to time, but the defense was full of holes.
Since the managerial change, the new Pengcheng seems to be revitalized and energetic in both offense and defense. Although they failed to win all three points in the last round of away game against Shenhua, the glory of almost succeeding has already excited the fans. In this round, against Nantong Zhiyun, who was relegated early, the victory seems to be within reach. Both sides won the first round by a narrow margin of 1:0. Whether New Roc City can score more goals in this rematch may depend on Nantong Zhiyun's fighting spirit and attitude.
With four relegation teams with different outlooks, how will the Super League relegation battle come to an end?
Looking at the whole picture, Cangzhou Lions are in the most favorable situation; Meizhou Hakka is the most difficult and risky; and Hainiu's fate still depends on the sky. As for New Pengcheng, the key now is to beat Nantong Zhiyun, and the fate of relegation can only be left to fate. Let's look forward to the final chapter of the Super League relegation battle!
