HAGL and the haunting specter at the 'Vinh City cauldron'
The team from the mountainous region hopes that coach Lee Tae-hoon will help solve the problem of their rivalry with SLNA at Vinh Stadium in Round 13 of the V-League 2019 this afternoon (June 16).
But despite this resurgence, HAGL remains very cautious as they visit SLNA today. Vinh Stadium has always been a difficult place for the team owned by Mr. Doan Nguyen Duc. In the past 15 years, HAGL has only managed one victory there, while suffering ten defeats. Furthermore, in the last five seasons, they have only scored one goal at Vinh Stadium.
 |
| Van Toan (in white shirt) is currently HAGL's top domestic scorer with 5 goals, while Van Duc (in yellow shirt) is still struggling with recurring injuries. |
Fans are also eagerly awaiting the direct confrontation between Van Thanh and Xuan Manh, the duo who shone in the U23 Asian Championship finals, helping Vietnam win the silver medal. Coach Nguyen Duc Thang said that Xuan Manh's recovery from injury and return in the last few rounds has reassured him about SLNA's right wing.
SLNA currently boasts the best defense in V-League 2019 with only 9 goals conceded after 12 matches. However, coach Nguyen Duc Thang's team is still unable to achieve great success due to a very poor attack. They are heavily reliant on Olaha and have only managed 10 goals as the first half of the V-League 2019 season draws to a close.
SLNA hoped that Phan Văn Đức's return would revitalize their attack. However, the midfielder unexpectedly suffered a recurrence of his injury just before his return, and according to coach Nguyễn Đức Thắng, Văn Đức will definitely not be able to play against HAGL. Throughout this season, the hero of the Vietnam U23 team at Changzhou has only played in one match, the opening game of the season.
