SLNA - Hai Phong: With their backs against the wall, the home team becomes scary?

Letting Saigon FC successfully reverse the situation in the 12th round just now, put SLNA in a very dangerous situation. Winning 8 points after 12 matches and temporarily sinking in 13th place on the rankings, the risk of relegation is gradually becoming clear for the Vinh home team.

If we want that dark scenario not to become reality, the only way is for coach Nguyen Duc Thang and his team to achieve positive results in the coming time. The first match is against Hai Phong in the 13th round.

After the loss to Saigon FC, Coach Nguyen Duc Thang shared: “For me, every match requires the highest determination. The match against Hai Phong in round 13 will be very difficult, so we will start preparing as soon as we return to the headquarters.

I would like to thank the fans for always accompanying the team and me personally, that affection is what every coach wants. As someone who has been with the team for a long time, I will face all difficulties. Hopefully, SLNA will soon overcome this period."

SLNA's coaching staff is under a lot of pressure after the team's poor results.Photo: Thanh Cuong

Determination and effort are things that coach Nguyen Duc Thang and his team have in abundance. Turning mental strength into victories on the field is another story. Although SLNA is going through a series of bad matches, few people dare to blame Que Ngoc Hai and his teammates for not playing their best.

Objectively speaking, the Nghe An team went out to fight with 200% effort, but unfortunately the results they received were not commensurate with the efforts they put in. Bad luck still seems to have not let go of the Vinh team.

Meeting Hai Phong at this time, SLNA is inferior and disadvantaged in every way. Coach Nguyen Duc Thang’s squad is quite fragile due to the continuous injuries of key players. Goalkeeper Tran Nguyen Manh and midfielder Le The Cuong have not been able to return, while Cao Xuan Thang and Phan Van Duc are still doubtful of playing…

Compared to what coach Truong Viet Hoang owns, the Nghe An team is difficult to compare in terms of stability in both personnel and performance.

In contrast to the home team, Hai Phong is flying high in this year's V.League. After 12 rounds, the port city team is ranked 3rd on the rankings, with 19 points. In the last 2 rounds, coach Truong Viet Hoang and his team won 6 points against Saigon FC and FLC Thanh Hoa.

Not only is Hai Phong superior in terms of strength and form, but they also have a superior head-to-head record against SLNA. According to statistics, since the 2015 season until now, the port city team has won and drawn every time they have met SLNA on all fronts (won 5, drew 2).

The match between the two teams at Vinh Stadium last season, Hai Phong (red) was the winning team. Photo courtesy

Vinh Stadium may be an “easy place to go, hard to return” for all opponents, but for Hai Phong, it is a “good land”. In the last 3 away matches against SLNA, coach Truong Viet Hoang and his team all returned with 3 full points.

The return match of last season ended with a 3-2 victory for Hai Phong. Overall, the Nghe team has a high chance of losing in the match taking place on the afternoon of June 13.

After all, all statistics are for reference only. Experts and fans of Nghe An are waiting for a strong reaction from coach Nguyen Duc Thang and his team.

Can SLNA defeat Hai Phong, to get the first victory at Vinh Stadium in V.League 2018 and temporarily escape the crisis? The answer is yes. Because in the situation of having to "lean against the wall", the Nghe An team will become extremely scary./.