Song Lam Nghe An – Dong A Thanh Hoa: Continuing the excitement?
After a break, round 23 of V.League will return and at Vinh Stadium this weekend, Song Lam Nghe An will welcome their fateful opponent Dong A Thanh Hoa.
Play-off escape race is unpredictable
After 22 rounds, Song Lam Nghe An (26 points) is in a not-so-safe position in the group racing to escape the play-off group including Dong A Thanh Hoa (30 points); Hong Linh Ha Tinh (27 points); Quang Nam and Hoang Anh Gia Lai (26 points).
In 11th place, Song Lam Nghe An must win. Because Hong Linh Ha Tinh welcomes The Cong - Viettel at home; Quang Nam has a good chance of getting points at the relegated Khanh Hoa while Hoang Anh Gia Lai returns home to welcome Quy Nhon Binh Dinh.
Force
Before this match, Song Lam Nghe An did not have the strongest lineup. The Nghe team was missing defender Mai Sy Hoang, center back Le Nguyen Hoang, and also striker Phan Xuan Dai on the injury list.
However, in the absence of Xuan Dai, coach Pham Anh Tuan still has the emerging name Le Dinh Long Vu. On the side of Dong A Thanh Hoa, coach Popov has almost the strongest squad, especially the very dangerous striker Rimario.
Recent form
In terms of performance, Song Lam Nghe An was the team that made the strongest impression in May. Under coach Pham Anh Tuan, the team with a squad of players with an average age of only 22.7 years old overcame a series of strong opponents to have a series of 5 unbeaten matches, temporarily escaping the dangerous position. Watching the young players of Song Lam Nghe An play, one feels that they have regained their confidence and are not afraid of any opponent.
As for the away team, after two excellent home matches, defeating B. Binh Duong and Quang Nam, Dong A Thanh Hoa has gone through 3 matches without a win, including 1 loss to Hanoi, Nam Dinh and being held to a draw by Hoang Anh Gia Lai in the previous round. Compared to the beginning of the season, Dong A Thanh Hoa is no longer itself, a very difficult opponent to defeat in the V.League.
Statistical
Both Song Lam Nghe An and Dong A Thanh Hoa have foreign strikers Olaha and Rimario with 9 goals each. In addition, the away team also has a player of quite high class and effective playing style, Luiz Antonio (8 goals).
The home team's offense is not stronger than the away team with 22 goals and 32 compared to the opponent, but the defense of Song Lam Nghe An has only conceded 26 goals, while Dong A Thanh Hoa has received 33 goals. Thanh Hoa's playing style has also caused this team to receive a lot of penalty cards with 54 yellow cards and up to 5 red cards.
Thanh Hoa's weakness is the first 15 minutes of the second half, they only scored 2 goals at this time. Meanwhile, from minutes 60-75, the Thanh team scored 8 goals. From minutes 15-30, there were 7 goals. Song Lam Nghe An often accelerated and attacked effectively in the second half.
In the first leg, Song Lam Nghe An lost quickly 3-1. However, with the team having momentum and good form, Song Lam Nghe An will likely get revenge for the first leg. From there, continue to create an impressive series of matches and stay away from the danger zone. If not, the Nghe team will have to face unpredictable challenges ahead.
The match between Song Lam Nghe An and Thanh Hoa will take place at 5pm on June 15 at Vinh Stadium. The match is free of charge so that many Nghe An fans can come into the stadium to cheer on coach Pham Anh Tuan and his team.