Without Van Duc, Van Binh, SLNA competes with 3 "foreigners" of XSKT Can Tho

Breakthrough opportunity

On the V.League 2018 rankings at the moment, SLNA has 14 points and is ranked 11th. However, the Nghe An team is only one win away from the two opponents above, XSKT Can Tho and HAGL. At Vinh Stadium in this round 15, SLNA will play at home, hosting the team that coach Duc Thang and his team drew with in the first leg away.

SLNA is showing signs of getting into form. Photo: Thang Nguyen

This is the best opportunity for SLNA to take over the 10th position of its opponent.

HAGL, who are in an unstable form, will return to their home field to welcome Saigon FC in the next round, coach Phan Van Tai Em’s team that just had two important victories against SLNA and stopped Hanoi’s winning streak. Therefore, the opportunity for SLNA to change to a higher position on the rankings is not small.

In case SLNA wins this round and HAGL does not win, the Nghe An team can completely rise to 9th place of HAGL because coach Duc Thang and his team have the advantage in goal difference (-2) while HAGL is -7.

Overload and penalty cards

SLNA has one of the best central midfield pairs in V.League, Ho Khac Ngoc and Hoang Van Binh. And the combination of these two midfielders, one attacking and one defending, is the key to helping SLNA keep a clean sheet at the end of the match, defeating B. Binh Duong in the previous match. Thanks to Van Binh's regulation and cover, Khac Ngoc had more space to attack.

However, Van Binh will sit out in round 15 because he has received 3 yellow cards. In addition, Phan Van Duc has not been able to put on his shoes to play and SLNA's coaching staff does not want to take risks with this key striker. SLNA's coaching staff needs to pay attention to the fact that Khac Ngoc, Van Khanh, Tuan Tai have 2 yellow cards and Xuan Manh (5 cards). If they receive another yellow card, they will be suspended for 1 match.

Van Binh is out due to a penalty card, Ngoc Toan will likely return. Photo: Trung Kien

This forces coach Duc Thang to continue to arrange Xuan Toan and Xuan Thang to play in the attacking midfield position. And most importantly, SLNA is urgently recruiting another foreign player but cannot add him to the registration list before June 23.

It can be said that the quality of the strikers that SLNA registers in the coming time will largely determine the achievements of the Nghe team at the end of the season. At SLNA at the moment, the person with the best scoring record is Van Duc, who is injured, while Tuan Tai and Olaha each have 2 goals, and Que Ngoc Hai has 3 goals. At home this season, Nghe fans have only had 4 times to celebrate goals (not counting the recent match when B. Binh Duong borrowed Vinh Stadium). An achievement that is considered not very positive for SLNA's strikers in finishing.

Identify Can Tho Lottery

In the early stages of the season, XSKT Can Tho showed quite impressive performance, especially the wins against B. Binh Duong or Hai Phong. Even when hosting SLNA, Can Tho still refused to give up even though SLNA took the lead twice.

However, in the last 5 matches, coach Dinh Hong Vinh and his team only knew how to draw and lose. Before the rematch with SLNA, XSKT Can Tho was held to a goalless draw by SHB Da Nang at home. They lost 0-1 at Tam Ky Stadium of Quang Nam, drew with TP HCM before losing to S. Khanh Hoa and FLC Thanh Hoa in the last 2 matches.

XSKT Can Tho will compete with 3 foreign players (1 naturalized). Photo: Trung Kien

However, SLNA must be on high alert if they do not add foreign players in time. The away team currently has two strikers with impressive scoring records, Patiyo Tambwe and Wander Luiz, who have both scored 6 goals. In addition, Can Tho will play with another naturalized player, Hoang Vissai, for a total of 3 foreign players. The disadvantage in foreign players caused SLNA's physical strength to decline rapidly at the end of the match and they conceded quick goals.

Pressure for Tuan Tai

The match against XSKT Can Tho is also the last best chance for Tuan Tai to improve his performance. In the 2018 season, Ho Tuan Tai scored in 3 fronts, but in V.League 2018, the young SLNA striker's goal sense is not good. When Phan Van Duc could not play, almost all the opportunities that Khac Ngoc and Olaha created were for Tuan Tai, but the achievement of 2 goals/13 matches requires the striker born in 1995 to make more efforts. Especially when from round 16 against Saigon, SLNA can play with 2 foreign players, then it is likely that Tuan Tai will be pushed to the bench if he cannot prove his scoring ability. Although he has played more confidently, Tuan Tai will certainly have to make the most of his opportunities.

After 13 matches in V.League (10 starting matches), Ho Tuan Tai cannot be satisfied with himself. Because compared to his peers, Tuan Tai is completely inferior. Besides Tien Linh of B. Binh Duong, Ha Duc Chinh has scored 6 goals, Quang Hai, Cong Phuong, Minh Vuong have all equaled Phan Van Duc's record of 5 goals. So if he does not know how to seize the opportunity in the match against XSKT Can Tho, the bench will push Tuan Tai deeper into the rest of the season.

The match between SLNA and XSKT Can Tho takes place at 5:00 p.m. on June 23 at Vinh Stadium, live on Football TV channel.

LIST OF TOP GOAL SCORERS IN V.LEAGUE 2018

1. Player scored 14 goals:

- Hanoi: Oseni Ganiyu Bolaji (90).

2. Player scored 8 goals: - Saigon: Da Sylva Dominique (15)

3. Players scored 6 goals: - Becamex Binh Duong: Nguyen Tien Linh (22).

- Hai Phong: Andre Diego Fagan (9).

- SHB Da Nang: Ha Duc Chinh (26).

- Quang Ninh Coal: Teofilo Soares Eydison (99).

- XSKT Can Tho: Patiyo Tambwe (10), Wander Luiz Queiroz Dias (68).

4. Player scored 5 goals:

- FLC Thanh Hoa: Pape Omar Faye (20).

- Hanoi: Nguyen Quang Hai (19).

- Hoang Anh Gia Lai: Nguyen Cong Phuong (10), Tran Minh Vuong (8).

- Sanna Khanh Hoa BVN: Toure Youssouf (21).

- SHB Da Nang: Do Merlo (19).

- Song Lam Nghe An: Phan Van Duc (20).

- Than Quang Ninh: Silva Dos Anios Joel Vinicius (94).

Close-up of Jamaican players coming to SLNA for trial

(Baonghean.vn) - Saying goodbye to foreign player Osmar Francisco after the first leg of V.League 2018, Song Lam Nghe An is testing a series of foreign players from Africa and America. Among the 4 foreign players who came to try out at Vinh Stadium, only 2 players left their mark...