Round 19 of the Chinese Super League continues on Saturday evening as Chongqing Tonglianglong host Zhejiang. Although the home side won the first meeting between the teams this season, their recent form has been unconvincing and their ability to win has dropped sharply. Up against a Zhejiang side that has just returned to winning ways and lifted morale, Chongqing may have to settle for protecting their unbeaten home record, with a draw not being a bad outcome.
Looking at Chongqing Tonglianglong's league campaign as a whole, the trend of a fast start followed by a slowdown is very clear. They stayed unbeaten through the first eight league matches with five wins and three draws, but over the last 10 games they have posted just two wins, four draws and four defeats. Their place near the top of the table owes something to points deductions suffered by some traditional powerhouses who have yet to catch them, so their current ranking still carries some inflation. Focusing on their home league record of four wins, four draws and one loss, with their number of home draws the second-highest in the league, their unique geographical conditions have often helped them avoid defeat at home. Still, they have beaten only struggling Tianjin Jinmen Tiger in their last five matches, which reflects a lack of cutting edge. Against a well-stocked Zhejiang squad this time, Chongqing are not expected to have enough strength or confidence to complete a season double.
Zhejiang currently sit in mid-table with seven wins, four draws and seven defeats. Their biggest recent issue has been at the back, having conceded eight goals across the last three league matches. The encouraging part is that since May, Zhejiang have won five of their 10 league games thanks to productive attacking displays, scoring at least twice in seven of those matches. Players such as Wang Yudong and Alexandru Mitrita have returned to the level expected of them and helped raise the team's floor, while the barren run of five straight scoreless matches in April has essentially been put behind them. That said, Zhejiang have lost 55.56% of their away league matches this season and have taken zero points from their last two away league games. Travelling to Chongqing for this one, winning will be difficult, and even taking one point would count as mission accomplished.