On 23 and 24 May, the ninth round of the Chinese Super League will be contested over two matchdays with eight matchdays. In this round, in addition to the strong dialogue between Chengdu Rongcheng and Shanghai Shenhua, there are still many points to see, including who can break the curse of Lianping in last season's champions and runners-up Wuhan Three Towns and Shandong Taishan, and Leonardo, who leads the top scorers, can continue to extend his lead.
The match between Chengdu Rongcheng and Shanghai Shenhua is undoubtedly the focus of this round. Currently, both teams are fourth and second in the table and have not tasted defeat to date. Interestingly, recently, the two teams have also drawn more, Rongcheng has drawn 3 times in a row, and Shenhua has also drawn two consecutive games. The difference is that Rongcheng played a big draw, and Shenhua played two games 1-1. For two teams striving to continue their unbeaten runs, it is also a spear-and-shield showdown.
In addition to Rongcheng and Shenhua, after 8 rounds, there are two unbeaten teams, Shanghai Port at the top and Tianjin Jinmen Tigers in 5th place. The harbour will face a tough battle at home against Henan, which has just won its first win of the season. Since the beginning of this season, Henan have conceded only six goals in eight games, making it the third fewest goals conceded so far, behind Shanghai Shuangxiong. Tianjin Jinmen Tigers are away to Meizhou Hakka, which suffered two consecutive defeats, although the opponent is in average form, but it is not a simple matter to get 3 points away from home on opponents who are not weak.
Last season's champions and runners-up teams Wuhan Three Towns and Shandong Taishan have been less competitive this season, but they also seem to continue the habitual common advance and retreat situation in the second half of last season. In the last 5 rounds, they have all played 4 draws and suffered the curse of invincibility. In this round of the competition, the new army Nantong Zhiyun of Wuhan Three Towns has just ended a three-game losing streak, and will not miss the opportunity to win. Shandong Taishan ended a long five-game journey and returned to Jinan to face the overall strength of Shenzhen, hoping to make his home debut with a victory.
Changchun Yatai's match against Qingdao Manatee is also interesting, Leonardo, who contributed 3 goals and 1 assist in the last round, was in great form and was named the best player in a single round. Changchun Yatai will face Qingdao Manatee, who conceded the most goals among 16 teams, at home, and Leonardo is also expected to seize the opportunity to continue to extend his lead in the top scorers. In other matches, Beijing Guoan sits in Gongti to face Cangzhou Lions, who have not won in three rounds, and Dalian, who suffered two consecutive defeats, will face Zhejiang at home, which has recovered in form. In this round, Beijing Guoan vs Cangzhou Lions, Shandong Taishan vs. Shenzhen, Meizhou Hakka vs. Tianjin Jinmen Tigers 3 games have attracted CCTV's attention.