With the drums of war beating in the 28th round of the Chinese Super League, the battle for this season's title is about to reach its climax on October 20, Beijing time. In this tense moment, let's analyze this competition for glory.
Scoreboard Storm
After 27 rounds of fierce battle, Shanghai Harbor to 18 wins, 5 draws and 4 losses, accumulating 59 points topped the list. Shandong Taishan follows with 51 points, with 14 wins, 9 draws and 4 losses. Although there are only three rounds of matches left, there is still an eight-point gap between the two teams. The third-ranked Shanghai Shenhua has 48 points, and the dream of the championship has been dashed.
Schedule Revealed
15:30: Shandong Taishan to face Changchun Yatai
19:35hrs: Shanghai Seaport meets Beijing Guoan
Situation analysis
First of all, if Shandong Taishan loses the afternoon match against Changchun Yatai, its points will be fixed at 52 points. Even if they win the last two rounds, they will only reach 58 points at most, which is not enough to overtake Shanghai Seaport with 59 points. This means that Shanghai Seaport has locked up the title ahead of the evening match against Beijing Guoan.
Secondly, if Shandong Taishan beat Changchun Yatai in the afternoon, the points can reach 54. And Shanghai Harbor will rise to 62 points after beating Beijing Guoan in the evening, with a lead of 8 points, making the title a foregone conclusion.
Furthermore, if Shanghai Seaport draws against Beijing Guoan in the evening, the points will be set at 60. At this point, there are only two rounds of fixtures left and the gap between the two sides is six points. In this case, a win or loss will be decisive, and on October 29th, Seaport will host Taishan. If Seaport doesn't lose, the championship will be in the bag.
Finally, if Shanghai Seaport loses to Beijing Guoan in the evening, the points will still be 59 points. At this point, the gap between the two sides has narrowed to 5 points, and the title is still on the line. seaport still has a chance to win the title if they don't lose to Taishan on October 29th. If they lose by only 3 points, the championship will depend on the final round of matches on November 4th.
