In the late afternoon of November 6, in the 27th round of the 2022 CFA First Division League, the Qingdao Manatees sent the Xinjiang Tianshan Snow Leopards back to their homeland with an emphatic 5-1 victory, and steadily climbed to third place in the table. According to an analysis by the WeChat platform "Qingdao Sports Stuff", such a good performance is a sign that Qingdao Hainiu is expected to make a qualitative leap towards the end of the season.
It's worth mentioning that Qingdao Hainiu have been on a hot streak lately, winning four games in a row and locking up a 5-1 win in two consecutive matches. Currently, they have an impressive record of 18 wins, 5 draws and 4 losses, and rank third in the Central League with an efficient average of 2.19 points per game. Meanwhile, fourth-ranked Shaanxi Chang'an Athletic won 1-0 against Nantong Zhiyun, but the Manatees still lead with a three-point advantage, firmly grasping the initiative for the title.
Looking back at the first stage of this season's First Division League, Hainiu had the upper hand in their two encounters with Shaanxi Chang'an Athletic with one win and one draw. Therefore, if the two teams are tied in points at the end of the season, Qingdao Hainiu is expected to win the league by virtue of their mutual record advantage.
It is worth mentioning that Nantong Zhiyun has only gained 1 draw and 1 loss in the last two rounds, and the point advantage over Hainiu has narrowed from 10 to 5 points. This change allows Qingdao Hainiu to see the dawn of the impact of the second place in the Central League.
On the afternoon of November 9, Qingdao Sea Bulls will welcome a showdown with Liaoning Shenyang City, when a fierce battle will start again.
