The Smoke Rises Again: Wuhan Three Towns vs. Guangzhou City
Wuhan Three Town met their Waterloo in the final round of the league, losing 0-1 to Chengdu, and Shandong Taishan took the opportunity to equalize the points, which once again overshadowed Three Town's dream of winning the championship. Guangzhou City, on the other hand, managed to bounce back from their 4-0 win against Hebei and jumped up to the bottom three. Three Town won the first leg 3-0, but top scorer Malcolm Malcolm was suspended for accumulating four yellow cards, which dealt a blow to Three Town's offense. Against the weaker Guangzhou City, San Zhen still has a better chance to win.
Chengdu Rongcheng to face Hebei
Chengdu Rongcheng beat Wuhan Sanzhen 1-0 in the final round to move up to eighth place. Hosting Hebei, Chengdu will play their first home game of the season, 11 years after the last time they hosted a Chinese Super League match, when Chengdu Sheffield United drew with Guangzhou Evergrande. Chengdu Rongcheng vowed to win three points for their fans. Hebei, who suffered a 0-4 drubbing at the hands of Guangzhou's relegated rivals in the final round, are basically locked into the relegation spot, and the subsequent matches may just be a walk in the park.
Shanghai Harbor vs.
Seaport's winning streak came to an abrupt end in the last round with a 1-3 defeat against Taishan, and coach Leko's tactics were questioned. The team is ranked 5th in the table, only one point ahead of Shenhua. The good news is that foreigner Ndiaye and winger Feng Jin are back from injury, which may bring tactical adjustments for Leko. The Dalianers overtook Shenzhen and equalized with Cangzhou with a 90-minute shutout of Wuhan Changjiang in the final round. But midfielder Fei Yu's active red card may have hinted at Dalianers' fighting spirit.
Guangzhou vs. Cangzhou Lions
The road to relegation was once again bumpy for Cangzhou as they lost 1-4 to Beijing Guoan in the final round and were overtaken by Guangzhou. However, in the second half of the confrontation with Guoan, Hao Junmin and other veterans did not fall behind and scored a goal, which may provide a reference for the tactics against Cangzhou. Cangzhou ended Shenhua's undefeated streak with 25 points, and relegation worries were temporarily solved. The away game is not an advantage, but with strong foreign players such as Kante, scoring is not difficult.
Beijing Guoan meets Henan Songshan Longmen
Guoan's goal of hitting the first group became clearer with a 4-1 win over Guangzhou in the last round. Zhang Yuning played steadily and foreigner Adebenelo returned to form as Henan won 2-0 against Shenzhen to mark their third consecutive victory. Despite being only three points ahead of Guoan in the standings, this match will be Henan's fourth. In the first round, Henan beat the Royal Forestry Army 3-0, while Guoan is much stronger after the managerial change and the players' morale is high, aiming to take revenge on Henan.
Wuhan Changjiang vs Meizhou Hakka
This matchup is a brotherly rivalry. Wuhan has lost eight consecutive rounds and is slipping badly in the standings. Currently only two points ahead of Guangzhou, they fear falling into the relegation zone if they lose again. Meizhou Hakka seems to be in a slump after losing 0-7 to Seaport. After losing 0-1 to Yatai on the road in the last round, they are in desperate need of a win to revitalize their morale. Both teams are eager to take all three points. (DD)
