Shanghai Seaport has been on a roll lately, with 7 wins, 2 draws and 1 loss in 10 matches, but the last two rounds of consecutive draws, especially the controversial 1-1 draw away to Shandong Taishan, have been quite controversial. The 1-1 draw at home against Dalian Ren has raised questions about their status as title favorites. Perhaps this has something to do with the fact that Dalian's current manager, Xie Hui, used to work as an assistant coach at Shanghai Seaport, and it remains to be seen whether or not he is "selling a favor".
On the contrary, Wuhan Sanzhen, with 4 wins, 5 draws and 1 loss in the last 10 matches, has been in excellent form recently, winning two consecutive rounds, and showing excellent competitive level both on the road and at home. The coaching ability of the Japanese coach should not be underestimated.
The two teams have met 3 times in history. Last season in the Chinese Super League, Wuhan Sanzhen killed Shanghai Seaport, and in the first round of this season's Chinese Super League, Shanghai Seaport won 2-0 on the road. Given Shanghai Harbor's recent downturn in form, Wuhan Sanzhen's strength on the road is stronger than at home, and with the new Japanese manager, Takabatake's unique skills, I'm more optimistic about Wuhan Sanzhen winning on the road in this match.
The match will take place on July 12 at 19:35 hours.
One of the main attractions of the match will undoubtedly be "Xie Hui versus his old boss". 2020 season, former Shanghai SIPG Chinese assistant coach Xie Hui became the head coach of Nantong Zhiyun, but in the summer of 2021, he left the post early because of the drunken and impassioned words were captured on video.
In the 2022 season, Xie Hui's foreign assistant coach led Nantong Zhiyun to their first-ever Super League success, while Dalian Ren, relegated to the Central League, exceeded expectations under Xie Hui's leadership. Although the "pressure to play" is only Xie Hui's drunken words, but Nantong Zhiyun in the new manager Gabriele took office, the performance has improved significantly, is currently in the Premier League table ranked thirteenth, the prospect of relegation optimistic.
However, Dalian's strength is limited and has failed to be effectively reinforced, and Xie Hui has looked out of his depth.
