After a month-long hiatus, the 2023 China First Division League resumed this fall on October 9 with the 25th round of matches. A total of four exciting matches led off today's action. Two of the matches were supported by local TV stations, Migu Video, Live Streaming Bar, DONG Qudi, Thunder Speed Sports, and Soccer Channel (including APP, apps and Weibo).
At 19:30 that night, three Central League matches lit up at the same time.
Qingdao West Coast hosts Jinan Xingzhou in the marquee match of the Central League Shandong Provincial Derby, which will be televised live on QTV-Qingdao Sports & Leisure Channel and Qingdao Huangdao Radio & TV Public Channel. Qingdao West Coast's performance has skyrocketed since Dalian Shide's former foreign aid player, Jan Govich, who used to work for Beijing Guoan, took over as head coach. They are undefeated in 11 rounds of league matches and sit second in the Central League table with 50 points, just one point behind leaders Sichuan Jiuniu and six ahead of Nanjing City. Jangovic has seen the hope of promotion to the Chinese Super League. The rival Jinan Xingzhou, which has former Chinese Super League stars such as Dai Lin, Ye Chongqiu and Bo Jiajun, has just won two consecutive matches, but with 37 points it is only sixth on the table, hopelessly out of reach of the Chinese Super League.
Qingdao West Coast is eager to win and is expected to take all three points in this match.
Guangzhou, once on the verge of collapse due to the financial problems of parent company Evergrande Group, now face vice-champion Wuxi Wu Hook at Yuexiu Mountain Stadium. The team, which features young players, is currently ranked 12th, with 27 points alongside Shenyang and Suzhou Dongwu, and just one point less than ninth-placed Yanbian Longding. With the help of several teams, Guangzhou has moved 10 points out of the relegation zone and is in a stable relegation situation. Wuxi Wuhu, on the other hand, despite two consecutive victories recently, has struggled to win in the previous 22 rounds, and is at the bottom of the table with 12 points, 10 points lower than Dandong Tengyue. In terms of strength, Wuxi Wuhu seems destined to be relegated, but it will be interesting to see if Guangzhou can stop their rivals from winning three in a row after Xu Jiayin has been put under control.
Suzhou Dongwu will face Dongguan Union at home, which will be televised live on Jiangsu Broadcasting TV Sports & Leisure Channel. Suzhou Dongwu beat Dandong Tengyue 2-1 at home, ending an embarrassing 10-round winless streak in the league, and are currently in 11th place, with little relegation pressure. Dongguan Union, on the other hand, has won four consecutive matches, and with the advantages they have accumulated before, they are in the seventh place of the table with 32 points, and their relegation target has been realized. In this game, the two teams may face each other easily.
At 15:00 pm, the new Liaozhi soccer team Liaoning Shenyang City will face Shanghai Jiading Huilong at home. Liaoning Shenyang City's last defeat at home to Qingdao West Coast ended a five-game unbeaten streak, and the team is currently ranked 10th, with optimistic prospects for relegation. Shanghai Jiading Huilong, led by coaching team Yang Lin and Liu Yujian, just suffered two consecutive defeats, but have previously grabbed points with strong momentum, ranking fourth from the bottom (13th) with 23 points, just six points above the relegation zone. If they are not able to escape the risk of relegation, this game will be crucial for them to fight for points. Liaoning Shenyang City doesn't seem to have an urgent need to win. This game will probably end in a draw, with a point each.
