On the night of December 27, Zhejiang Legion suffered a 0-2 defeat to Wuhan Sanzhen on the road, and despite remaining in third place with 62 points, the battle for the AFC Champions League qualification is getting hotter with only one round left in the league at a tense juncture, with Shanghai Port and Chengdu Rongcheng on the same points.
According to AFC rules, there are 2+2 places for the Chinese Super League to qualify for the AFC Champions League this season, with the league and FA Cup champions advancing directly, while the runners-up and second-placed finishers will battle it out for the play-offs. Currently, Wuhan Three Town and Shandong Taishan have locked up two places in advance, while the remaining two places will be revealed in the final showdown between the FA Cup and the league.
As the FA Cup progresses, the top eight teams - Shandong Taishan, Wuhan Sanzhen, Shanghai Shenhua, Cangzhou Lions, Shanghai Harbor, Chengdu Rongcheng, Zhejiang and Jinan Xing - are set to battle it out. If the top three teams in the league can win the FA Cup at the same time, the fourth place in the league will have a chance to qualify for the AFC Champions League.
Currently, Zhejiang, Shanghai Port and Chengdu Rongcheng have the same number of points and are ranked third to fifth in the table, and the battle for AFC Champions League qualification is on. In the final round, each of the three teams will face Changjiang, Yatai and Dalian people at home, and the opponents do not have too much intention to fight.
Despite the fact that Zhejiang, Shanghai Port and Chengdu Rongcheng are more likely to win at the same time in the final round in terms of strength comparison and current situation, the uncertainty of soccer matches still exists, and the final rankings of the three teams will depend on their performances in the final round.
It is worth noting that if the three teams have the same number of points, Zhejiang will be in first place with 6 points, Shanghai Port in second place with 5 points, and Chengdu Rongcheng in third place with 3 points by virtue of their superiority in the round-robin match between the three teams. If Zhejiang and Shanghai Port have the same points, Zhejiang will have the upper hand due to 1 win and 1 draw. If Zhejiang and Chengdu Rongcheng share the same points, the two sides will end in a 2-draw and Zhejiang will have a 14 goal difference. If Shanghai Port and Chengdu Rongcheng share the same points, Shanghai Port will have the upper hand due to 1 win and 1 draw.
Overall, Zhejiang are actively pursuing AFC Champions League qualification and can make their dream come true by beating Changjiang in the final round. Shanghai Port and Chengdu Rongcheng, on the other hand, will have to hope that their rivals make mistakes while winning if they want to qualify for the AFC Champions League through their league standings, or else they will have to pin their hopes on the FA Cup or the top three in the league to win the FA Cup.
