SLNA faces difficulties, Ngoc Hai and Van Khanh quickly join the team.

(Baonghean.vn) - The absence of many key players and the current inconsistent form of national team members poses a very difficult challenge for SLNA in Round 11 of the V.League 2017.

After 10 rounds, the Nghe An team resembles a "miniature hospital" as the injury list has not only failed to decrease but has actually increased.

Before Vo Ngoc Toan suffered a knee ligament sprain and had to miss at least a month of play, center-back Pham Manh Hung also had to undergo surgery for a torn meniscus in his knee, meaning SLNA would be without these players for about 5-6 weeks.

Not to mention that Dinh Hoang is still recovering from surgery for a torn meniscus in his knee and will only be able to play again in the middle of the second phase of the season.

Fans in Nghe An received further bad news this morning (March 30th) when SLNA departed for Hai Phong early, as both Phu Nguyen and Xuan Thang were absent due to fitness issues. Even a player like Minh Duc's participation is uncertain as he is not yet at his best.

SLNA players Hoang Van Khanh and Que Ngoc Hai only had two days to prepare for the match against Hai Phong after returning from Afghanistan with the Vietnamese national team - Photo: Trung Kien

Therefore, the three national team players who are about to return from the 2019 Asian Cup Qualifiers with the Vietnamese national team – Que Ngoc Hai, Hoang Van Khanh, and Ho Tuan Tai – will not have time to rest but must rejoin their clubs immediately upon returning to Vietnam.

The aforementioned players are expected to arrive in Hanoi tomorrow afternoon (March 31st) and then immediately travel to Hai Phong to prepare for the match at Lach Tray Stadium. However, what worries the SLNA coaching staff is the physical condition of these players after a strenuous match and a long journey.

Currently, Hai Phong is playing quite consistently, with a solid defense led by Le Van Phu and the dangerous duo of Fagan and Stevens in attack. Their 4th position in the standings speaks for itself. As for SLNA, a match predicted to be "more bad than good" awaits them!

Trung Kien