SLNA - Quang Nam: What are the chances for the Nghe An team?
(Baonghean.vn) - If they defeat the Quang Nam team in the match taking place at Hang Day Stadium at 4:00 p.m. on February 24, coach Nguyen Duc Thang and his team will bring the 39th trophy to SLNA's trophy room.
Speaking to the press, coach Nguyen Duc Thang said: “Quang Nam is of course the stronger team. They have the strongest squad while we have lost some players due to injury. Besides, Quang Nam has two foreign players and one naturalized player, while SLNA only has one foreign player. However, what we do not lose is determination. In football, no one knows what will happen in advance.”
Coach Nguyen Duc Thang's assessment is completely correct. It must be admitted that before the Super Cup match between the two teams took place, the defending champion of V.League 2017 was rated higher by experts than what the Nghe An team currently has. Quang Nam still retains the squad that won the V.League 2017, while SLNA has lost star Phi Son to Ho Chi Minh City Club and captain Nguyen Manh suffered a very serious injury a few weeks ago (about 5 months off).
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| SLNA will not have the services of goalkeeper Nguyen Manh. Photo: Internet |
That does not mean that SLNA does not have many chances to win against Quang Nam. On the contrary, the Nghe An team still possesses many advantages over their opponents on the other side of the battle line. The first advantage is their mettle in cup matches. It is no coincidence that SLNA is one of the most successful teams in Vietnamese football (4 V.League national championships, 3 National Cup championships, 4 National Super Cups...).
Don't forget, in the National Super Cup, the Vinh team won 4/5 times (2000, 2001, 2002 and 2011). The only defeat so far was the Super Cup match with Hanoi T&T in 2010 (SLNA lost on penalties). Just looking at the above achievements is enough to see that the Nghe team is superior to Quang Nam in experience and bravery in cup matches, specifically in the National Super Cup match.
The clearest proof for the above statement is none other than the clash between the two teams in the recent National Cup semi-final. Although in the last two V.League seasons (2016 and 2017), SLNA did not have a single victory against the team led by coach Hoang Van Phuc (2 draws, 2 losses). However, in the 2017 National Cup, the Vinh home team had an unbeaten record against Quang Nam (won 4-1 in the first leg, drew 3-3 in the second leg). Now meeting again, Ngoc Hai and his teammates will have a better mentality than their opponents.
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| In the first leg of the 2017 National Cup semi-final, SLNA defeated Quang Nam 4-1. Photo: Internet |
Another advantage for coach Nguyen Duc Thang and his team is the fan base. Although the Super Cup match between SLNA and Quang Nam takes place on a neutral field - Hang Day, the Nghe An team will certainly be supported by a large number of hometown fans studying, working and living in Hanoi and neighboring areas. Therefore, Hang Day Stadium promises to remain the "fire pot of Vinh in the heart of Hanoi" - something that has been happening for nearly 2 decades.
In short, in terms of strength, Quang Nam is rated higher than SLNA, but in other factors, the Nghe team is not inferior or better than the opponent from Quang. Coach Nguyen Duc Thang and his team and Nghe fans have many reasons to believe that the 39th cup will belong to the SLNA tradition room./.
