Is SLNA at a disadvantage when having to leave their home field to compete in a centralized competition?

Thus, the 0-2 loss to Hong Linh Ha Tinh in round 10 was the last time Hoang Van Khanh and his teammates played at Vinh Stadium in V.League 2021. And the match against Hanoi Club in round 13 of phase 1 will also take place on a neutral field, instead of Vinh Stadium as originally planned.

The 0-2 loss to Hong Linh Ha Tinh was the last time Song Lam Nghe An played at Vinh Stadium in V.League 2021. Photo: VPF

In the past, Vinh Stadium was considered an "unbreakable fortress". The proof is that it was not until the 2002 season that the first team left the "fire pit of Vinh" with a victory, that was Ho Chi Minh City Police (Song Lam Nghe An lost to Ho Chi Minh City Police with a score of 0 - 1).

Although in recent seasons, Vinh Stadium is no longer a place where "easy to go, hard to return" for many teams, it is still a solid support for Song Lam Nghe An in times of need. Typically, last season was also a very difficult season for the Nghe An team.

The remaining matches of Song Lam Nghe An (yellow jersey) in V.League 2021 will take place at stadiums in the North. Photo: VPF

In the second phase of V.League 2020, where Song Lam Nghe An had to play in the group to avoid relegation, Hoang Van Khanh and his teammates achieved an unbeaten record (2 wins, 1 draw). Thanks to 2 consecutive victories against Quang Nam (4-1) and Hai Phong (1-0), the Nghe team successfully stayed in the league 3 rounds early.

Even though they had no more goals and only fielded their reserve team, Song Lam Nghe An still managed to draw 1-1 with Nam Dinh in the final match. Don't forget that it was thanks to this draw that Nam Dinh escaped relegation to the First Division.

This season, Song Lam Nghe An has played a total of 5 times at home, with the results being 2 wins (1-0 win over Than Quang Ninh and 2-0 win over B.Binh Duong), 1 draw (1-1 draw with Binh Dinh) and 2 losses (0-1 loss to Viettel and 0-2 loss to Hong Linh Ha Tinh). Specifically, 7/10 points of the Nghe An team are earned at Vinh Stadium (accounting for 70%).

Through that, it can be seen that Vinh Stadium is still a fairly solid support for Nghe An Football Team. Simply, the number of wins and points earned by Song Lam Nghe An here is always much higher than the times they "brought the bell to play in foreign lands". It is not by chance that domestic football fans call Vinh Stadium "the fire pan of Vinh city".

Obviously, not being able to play at home will make the task of staying in the league for coach Nguyen Huy Hoang and his team more difficult. Of course, not only Song Lam Nghe An is at a disadvantage when having to play centrally, but many teams also face similar problems, especially those in the South, typically Saigon FC./.