Song Lam Nghe An vs Viettel Club: Can the curse be erased?

The 2-1 loss to Hanoi Police made the Nghe An team drift to the bottom of the rankings. And ifLam River Nghe AnIf we don't get a good result in this match, it will be very difficult to complete the goal of entering the top 8 after the first phase ends.

To get a favorable result against the home team Viettel Club, coach Huy Hoang's team must first improve their defense. The defense of the Nghe An team has been unstable in the last 2 matches. The fact that Thai Ba Sang and Ho Khac Luong are not in the best physical condition makes the plan of putting Tran Dinh Hoang in as a left-sided center-back ineffective.

Captain Que Ngoc Hai and his teammates need to improve their performance to bring stability to the Nghe An team. Photo: Xuan Thuy

This was clearly shown in the match against Hong Linh Ha Tinh and the second half of the match against Cong An Ha Noi. Of the 4 goals that the Nghe team conceded in these two matches, 3 came from the left wing. It is clear that coach Huy Hoang needs to make adjustments to bring certainty to the defense.

Another worrying point for Song Lam Nghe An is the defense against high balls. Although the Nghe An team has central defender Vytas Gaspuitis in their squad, coach Huy Hoang's team still cannot bring peace of mind in aerial situations.

Along with that, in the last 4 times meeting Viettel Club, Song Lam Nghe An lost all 4 matches and in 3 matches the Nghe team lost because of high balls. A worrying number for coach Huy Hoang and his team in the away trip toHang Day Stadium.

In particular, the explosive Nguyen Hoang Duc of Viettel Club is in extremely high form in the last 2 matches with 2 goals and 2 classy assists. The 2022 Vietnam Golden Ball will be the most dangerous threat on the army team. Therefore, Pham Xuan Manh and his teammates will have to have a full day of work to lock down number 28 of Viettel Club.

Midfielder Nguyen Hoang Duc is in extremely good form in the last 2 matches. Photo: VPF

However, the Nghe An team will still have reasons to believe in a favorable result at Hang Day Stadium. First is the good performance against Hanoi Police in the last round. Coach Huy Hoang's students deployed a sharp defensive counter-attacking style of play. However, an unlucky day caused Song Lam Nghe An to leave Hang Day Stadium empty-handed.

In the upcoming match, it is likely that the Nghe An team will still use the 5-3-2 formation to ensure the stability of the home field and wait for the opportunity to counterattack. With the absence of the number 1 striker Geovane Magno on the home team, Que Ngoc Hai and his teammates can completely lock down the strikers of Viettel Club if they play to their full potential. Especially when coach Thach Bao Khanh's team has only scored 8 goals after 9 matches.

On the attacking front, the speed and strength of the duo Olaha and Soladio will be the foundation for the Nghe An team's counter-attacks. However, this duo needs to improve compared to the previous match to bring effectiveness to the attacking situations of Song Lam Nghe An.

Anti-highball is the weakest point of Viettel Club. Photo: VPF

In addition, coach Huy Hoang and his team need to make the most of set pieces and high balls. This is the weakest point of Viettel Club's defense in the last two matches. With individuals like Vytas Gaspuitis, Pham Xuan Manh and Soladio, Song Lam Nghe An can completely cause difficulties for the army team with aerial situations like the way the ClubEast Asia Thanh Hoadid

It can be said that Viettel Club at the present time is the weakest version of the army team in recent years. And that will be an opportunity for coach Huy Hoang and his team to erase the streak of losing to Viettel Club and also erase the streak of bad results at Hang Day Stadium. Hopefully, the Nghe An team will continue to have a good match to get points against the host Viettel Club./.