Song Lam Nghe An vs. The Cong Viettel: There's still hope.
The Nghe An team is currently at a disadvantage in the race to avoid a Play-off spot, but that doesn't mean they're giving up in this match. Coach Pham Anh Tuan and his players will fight with all their might to achieve the best possible result.
It's safe to say that Song Lam Nghe An is in a precarious situation, and only a miracle can save the team from Nghe An from this 13th place.
For that to happen, two conditions must be met. These are: Song Lam Nghe An must win against Viettel Club and Hong Linh Ha Tinh, or LPBank Hoang Anh Gia Lai must not win.
Looking at their form and head-to-head record, Song Lam Nghe An is completely outmatched by The Cong Viettel. Coupled with their inconsistent playing style and poor fighting spirit, the chances of the Nghe An team winning are not very high.
Therefore, many people will question how Song Lam Nghe An can win when they have only earned 1 point in their last 3 matches (including 2 home games against equally matched opponents).
Perhaps it's the mental strength that matters. Song Lam Nghe An is suffering significant personnel losses. Most recently, midfielder Dang Quang Tu's suspension has left coach Pham Anh Tuan with a headache in selecting the starting lineup. Therefore, only the highest fighting spirit can compensate for these personnel shortages.
In this match, counter-attacking defense will be the preferred style of play. Coach Pham Anh Tuan will use a 5-4-1 formation to ensure solidity in their own half. But even with a large number of defenders, Song Lam Nghe An has not performed well. In their last three matches, they have all conceded first, causing their plans to fall apart early.
This will be even more difficult as the Nghe An team's defense will have to face an attack that just annihilated Dong A Thanh Hoa 5-0 away from home. Players like Tran Danh Trung, Nham Manh Dung, and Pedro Henrique will give Nguyen Van Viet and his teammates a tiring day at work. Hopefully, the Nghe An defense will maintain high concentration to keep a clean sheet in this match.
The midfield is even more concerning considering that The Cong Viettel possesses one of the best midfield lineups in the V.League. With several key players injured, the burden in the midfield will fall heavily on the shoulders of young midfielder Nguyen Quang Vinh. This number 16 midfielder will need significant support from his teammates in the confrontations with Abdumuminov Jakhongir, Nguyen Duc Chien, and Nguyen Hoang Duc if he doesn't want to be completely outplayed.
In attack, everything will depend on Michael Olaha. The Nigerian striker still puts in a lot of effort in every match, but his isolation means Michael Olaha doesn't have many opportunities to shine. Therefore, it will be very difficult to break through the Viettel The Cong defense.
Especially considering how well their defense has been performing recently. Coach Nguyen Duc Thang's team has only conceded 5 goals in 9 matches, and they have remained undefeated in all 9 of those games. This is enough to demonstrate just how difficult the task of winning for Song Lam Nghe An will be.
However, nothing is impossible. If coach Pham Anh Tuan's team can demonstrate their highest fighting spirit, they still have a chance to win all three points in this match. Or at least, this will be a good opportunity for the Nghe An team to practice for the upcoming Play-off match.
Hopefully, Song Lam Nghe An will have an excellent match, thereby winning and escaping the Play-off spot in this season.
The match between Song Lam Nghe An and The Cong Viettel will take place at 5:00 PM on June 30th at Lach Tray Stadium.
