Head coach of Song Lam Nghe An determines the chances for the home team if they have to play in the play-off

After the match in round 25 of V-League 2023/24, head coach of Song Lam Nghe An Pham Anh Tuan pointed out the reason why the home team could not get the maximum number of points.

“Players like Trong Hoang, Xuan Truong, Phi Son... all have a lot of experience and battle spirit, so Hong Linh Ha Tinh controlled the match better. That was the main reason why Song Lam Nghe An encountered many difficulties in this match. Besides, due to the short time gap between the two rounds, the players did not have time to recover their physical strength, so they often lost strength in the second half. This greatly affected the professional quality. In addition, our team consists of many young players who are inexperienced in physical coordination, leading to a loss of breath later on” - Mr. Tuan said about the reasons why the home team did not get the desired results.

However, with Hoang Anh Gia Lai also having to accept defeat in the match of round 25, the opportunity still exists for the home team Vinh. If Song Lam Nghe An wins against Viettel, and Hoang Anh Gia Lai cannot get the maximum number of points when hosting Hai Phong at home, the play-off ticket will belong to the mountain town team.

The door for Song Lam Nghe An to escape the second-to-last position after the end of the season is very narrow, however, coach Pham Anh Tuan is still determined when facing Viettel on the away field.

Coach Pham Anh Tuan said: "While there is life, there is hope". In the final match with Viettel, we will try our best to avoid the play-off ticket.

In the worst case scenario, Song Lam Nghe An is forced to play in the play-offs. Coach Pham Anh Tuan said: “The current first-class teams are of very good quality. They do not play foreign players, so they have sharp domestic strikers who play very well together because they often play together. I think the chances are 50/50 in the play-offs, the team that plays with more courage will win.”

Mr. Tuan added: “We will face many difficulties when we cannot use foreign players if we have to play the play-off match. Because during the V-League, Song Lam Nghe An has become accustomed to playing with foreign strikers and central defenders. However, the Song Lam Nghe An coaching staff will retrain the players and prepare the best for that match.”