Saigon - SLNA: Reunion of acquaintances

In 8 matches, Saigon and SLNA each won 3 matches, last season both matches ended in 2-2. This promises that both teams will have a difficult opening match of the season, especially when Saigon FC is restructuring the team with many ambitions.

Santos, Van Hoang meet old team

Coach Quang Truong must pay special attention to the right wing because Quoc Phuong dribbles the ball skillfully and quickly. Photo SGFC.

On SLNA’s side, there are three names that Saigon fans really want to mention in the first meeting of the season. They are goalkeeper Van Hoang and center back Gustavo Santos, who played for Saigon FC last year. If Van Hoang is the name that SLNA is eyeing to replace goalkeeper Nguyen Manh and soon appear at Vinh Stadium, the Brazilian center back appeared in the 89th minute.

SLNA has signed a pre-contract with center back Sergio Osagho (Italian nationality). However, at the last minute, this center back born in 1993 was also injured during a training session and the player who played for Viettel and Saigon FC last year was filled in. In V.League, there is always the "old people, new people" situation, when there is not much budget and time, coach Ngo Quang Truong will choose the safe option.

Normally, players will be more excited when meeting their old team, but whether Van Hoang and Gustavo Santos can do that or not remains to be seen. The other person that Ho Chi Minh City audiences keep mentioning is the new captain Hoang Van Khanh, who fouled Pedro Paulo, allowing the away team to equalize 2-2 in the 90+1 minute of injury time in round 17 of V.League 2019.

This time, as the new captain, Van Khanh must demonstrate his leadership qualities, command the SLNA defense, and forget the sad memories of last season. This is also a match for people to see the coordination between Van Khanh and new recruit Gustavo Santos.

Remembering Pedro Paulo, Quoc Phuong

Players suffer when having to play on a field without spectators. Photo SGFC.

For SLNA players, the most memorable name is Pedro Paulo, who scored 3 out of 4 goals against SLNA in both the first and second leg matches of V.League 2019. Supporting him is Geovane Magno. Although he only played from the second leg, the striker born in 1994 still managed to make his mark by contributing 4 goals and 4 assists for his Saigon FC teammates.

The other player is Quoc Phuong, the player who scored against SLNA last season and is in very good form before this season. Quoc Phuong is a winger, boldly carrying the ball to the opponent's right wing. When Xuan Manh was injured, coach Quang Truong had to pay special attention to the right wing because Quoc Phuong dribbles the ball skillfully and quickly.

Free kicks are also the forte of the Thanh Hoa native. Quoc Phuong has many times had skillful shots to score from a distance of 25m. Before meeting SLNA, Saigon Club won 1-0 against An Giang in a friendly match to prepare for the 2020 season. Quoc Phuong was the one who scored the only goal of the match after a beautiful free kick. In the 4-0 victory against First Division team An Giang, both Pedro Paulo and Quoc Phuong scored, Vu Tin was the player with a double goal.

One of the 4 new players worth waiting for in Saigon FC this season is Huynh Tan Tai. The former player of Long An came to Saigon FC with the expectation that he will be a explosive player in the attack of the Saigon team alongside the striker duo Pedro Paulo and Geovane Magno thanks to his versatility.

Compared to last year, under coach Hoang Van Phuc, Saigon players are more focused on physical fitness. It is known that Saigon FC has maintained the habit of going to the gym 3 times a week in addition to practicing with the ball every day. With the home field advantage, Saigon FC's goal is certainly 3 points, while even 1 point against SLNA is an acceptable result.

An Thanh