Song Lam Nghe An - FLC Thanh Hoa: Van Duc scored against Tien Dung?

On the V.League 2018 rankings, SLNA, after an unlucky 2-2 draw at Cam Pha Stadium, has dropped to 4th place. However, the Nghe An team is only 1 draw behind FLC Thanh Hoa (currently with 37 points). That means that if Que Ngoc Hai and his teammates win, the chance of winning a medal is still abundant. Meanwhile, FLC Thanh Hoa, if they get points, will have more opportunities. The upcoming North Central Derby is considered a 6-point match, the face of the 2 teams throughout the season.

In terms of personnel, SLNA will likely welcome the return of midfielder Phan Van Duc after nearly a month of injury. The problem is whether this national player will come on the field from the bench or in the starting lineup. In the first leg, Phan Van Duc threatened goalkeeper Bui Tien Dung's goal many times but was denied by Thanh Hoa goalkeeper or the goalpost.

Goalkeeper Phan Dinh Vu Hai also recovered in time to return to the SLNA goal. However, the Nghe An team will not have the services of midfielder Hoang Van Binh due to the constraints in the loan contract to SLNA.

SLNA's defense faced many difficulties against Thanh Hoa's star players in the first leg. Photo: Hoai Hoan

FLC Thanh Hoa was without Dinh Dong and coach Duc Thang due to suspension and discipline, but the away team saw the return of Dinh Tung, Trong Hoang, Rimario Gordon. Despite having to sit in the stands, the young coach leading Thanh Hoa still deployed his troops to help his team score 5 goals against Quang Nam.

In the last 23 meetings, the statistics show a balance. SLNA and Thanh Hoa both have 10 wins and 3 draws. At Vinh Stadium, SLNA won 6, drew 1 and lost 3. In terms of form, SLNA won 3, drew 1 and lost 2 in the 6 most important matches while FLC Thanh Hoa also had a streak of 6 matches like that.

There are similarities between SLNA and Thanh Hoa, which is the time to accelerate and score. SLNA scored 8 goals (23.5%) in the first 15 minutes of the second half, while the home team also scored 1 goal (26.3%) in this period. The Thanh team played very well in the last 15 minutes with 8 goals (21.1%), while SLNA often lost steam later in the match and only had 3 goals in decisive moments. The latest proof is the 2-2 draw with Quang Ninh, SLNA scored 2 goals but in the last minutes easily lost points.

In terms of attack, FLC Thanh Hoa is slightly better than SLNA. The away team's attack has scored 39 goals (1.7 goals/match) while SLNA has scored 35 goals (1.5 goals/match). In terms of defense, the goal loss ratio of the two teams is Thanh Hoa 28 - 30 SLNA.

Phan Van Duc is expected to return from the upcoming match. Photo courtesy

The upcoming match is expected to be difficult for SLNA. Because in the Thanh Hoa squad, there is a trio from Nghe An who understand their juniors very well. Vu Minh Tuan of the away team is also a face that brings many challenges to the SLNA defense that often loses focus at the end of the match.

Without Van Binh, the midfield, with only Khac Ngoc, cannot compete with Hoang Thinh, Van Thang or Pape Omar, who are too experienced on the other side of the battle line. Midfielders Sy Sam and Ngoc Toan do not have much experience to play in big and important matches like this.

In recent matches, SLNA's ability to score goals is having problems without Phan Van Duc. The Nghe team completely relies on the performance of Olaha Michael or Jeremie Lynch. Meanwhile, the away team, Minh Tuan, Van Thang, Trong Hoang all bring high breakthroughs.

There are three key issues that SLNA needs to overcome to win against FLC Thanh Hoa, which are the high concentration of the defense in the decisive moments. The ability to coordinate and take advantage of opportunities of the foreign pair and a reasonable strategy when the away team is rated higher. Besides, it is undeniable that the role and heat that Nghe An fans bring in this decisive match.

EXPECTED LINEUP:

SLNA: Vu Hai, Dinh Hoang, The Nhat, Ngoc Hai, Ngoc Duc, The Cuong, Ngoc Toan, Khac Ngoc, Van Duc, Olaha Michael, Jeremie Lynch.

Thanh Hoa: Tien Dung, Xuan Cuong, Tien Thanh, Minh Tung, Xuan Thanh, Van Thang, Trong Hoang, Huu Dung, Minh Tuan, Pape Omar, Romario.

PREDICTION: 3-2

SLNA - FLC Thanh Hoa: Guests overwhelm the hosts

(Baonghean.vn) - The result of the North Central derby match that will take place at Vinh Stadium has great significance for the TOP 3 battle of both SLNA and FLC Thanh Hoa.