In an early Round 16 battle, former champions Guangzhou will face newcomers Chengdu Rongcheng in a match that will take place at the Wuyuanhe Stadium in Haikou. The referee for the match is Beijing-based referee Ma Li, while his assistants - first assistant Tang Chao, second assistant Yang Yang, and video assistant referee Wang Zhe - are all from the capital, while fourth official Zhen Wei, a Tianjin native, has been honored with the title of "Golden Sentinel" in the Chinese League. In addition, assistant video assistant referee Zhang Meilin is from Qingdao, and referee supervisor Huan Rancheng has roots in Shanghai.
Analyzing the situation of the table, this matchup is not destined to be an uneventful one. Although Guangzhou lost 0-2 to Cangzhou Lions in the first round of the second stage after strengthening their squad, they are still in 16th place and the relegation pressure should not be underestimated. Facing newcomers Chengdu Rongcheng, they will have to fight hard to get points. However, Chengdu Rongcheng is in hot form recently, having won three games in a row, and their morale is high, so it's not easy to score points on them; on the other hand, Chengdu Rongcheng is looking forward to defeating Guangzhou and achieving a fourth consecutive win. Against this backdrop, the heat for this game will only get higher.
Meanwhile, another kick-off match took place at the Mission Hills Soccer Base Stadium in Haikou, with Cangzhou Lions facing Shandong Taishan. It was also an early Round 16 match, with referee Tang Shunqi from Chengdu, first assistant referee Liu Xing from Henan, second assistant referee Zhao Wei from Beijing, fourth official Niu Minghui and video assistant referee Zhang Long both from Beijing, assistant video assistant referee He Long from Liaoning, and refereeing supervisor Alamus from Guangzhou. In terms of paper strength, Shandong Taishan, who is currently second on the table, is significantly stronger, but they have a serious problem with their foreign aid, and even the returning Sun Junhao may not be able to immediately lift his quarantine and take part in the game. This will undoubtedly have an impact on the team's offensive and defensive strength. Cangzhou Lions beat Guangzhou by a landslide in the last round of matches, ending an embarrassing streak of 9 consecutive rounds without a win, and they will continue to go all out to score points as their form picks up. In comparison, the refereeing pressure for this match seems to be less. However, in view of the previous experience, the referee team still dare not take it lightly.
