The China League 1 rolls into round No. 4 this week with a full slate of fixtures. Nantong Zhiyun lead the way with nine points from three games. It is tight at the top with five teams just four pints off of the league leaders. Can one of the chasing packs take a big step this weekend in the China League One?
Tenth-place Nanjing City host ninth-place Kunshan in round No. 4 with both teams seeking to move out of midtable. Kunshan are playing just their third game of the campaign having had a previous match against Beijing Institute of Technology postponed.
Nanjing City started the season with a 1-1 draw with Jiangxi before losing to Qingdao 2-0. On matchday 3, Nanjing City rebounded with a 2-0 win over Beijing IT. All three of Nanjing City’s games this season finished with under 2.5 goals.
Kunshan had their season opener at Beijing IT postponed, but followed up that delayed game with a nil-nil draw at Shaanxi Chang’an. A 1-0 win followed versus Qingdao. Like Nanjing City, Kunshan have seen 2.5 goals in each of their games this season.
Shaanxi Chang'an Athletic are fifth in the China League 1 table ahead of Beijing Institute of Technology’s arrival on Wednesday. Beijing IT are not in good form going into the midweek clash. BIT have zero points, but due to postponements, have played just one game this season.
Beijing IT are coming off of a 2-0 loss to Nanjing City. The students will need to put in a far better effort against Shaanxi to get a result.
The hosts are unbeaten in the China League 1 this season. They have taken five points from nine possible. A 1-1 draw with Qingdao was followed by a nil-nil result with Kunshan. Last time out, Shaanxi defeated Jiangxi 3-1.
Qingdao Youth Island host Hebei Kungfu (aka Shijiazhuang Gongfu F.C.) on Wednesday. Qingdao Youth Island are at the bottom of the table ahead of the midweek fixture. Meanwhile, Hebei Kungfu are sixth in the table.
Hebei Kungfu have tallied five points from nine to start the season. A nil-nil draw with Guangxi Baoyun was followed by a 2-1 win against Suzhou Dongwu. On matchday 3, Hebei Kungfu drew 2-2 with Zibo Cuju. Their last two games ended with over 2.5 goals.
Qingdao Youth Island have lost all three matches this season to this point. They conceded at least two goals in each game. Two of Qingdao Youth Island’s last three matches finished with over 2.5 goals.
Suzhou Dongwu are seeking a second win from four matches this season as they face off with Guangxi Baoyun. Meanwhile, Guangxi Baoyun are looking to get back to winning ways after a loss last time out.
Guangxi Baoyun started the season well with a nil-nil draw at Hebei Kungfu. It was followed by a 3-1 home win against Zibo Cuju. Unfortunately, Guangxi Baoyun suffered a 2-1 loss to league leaders Nantong on matchday 3.
Suzhou Dongwu started the season with back-to-back losses to Nantong and Hebei Kungfu respectively. In round 3, Suzhou Dongwu defeated the league’s bottom dwellers Qingdao Youth Island 2-0. Two of Suzhou Dongwu’s three matches have ended with under 2.5 goals.