Song Lam Nghe An - Khanh Hoa: Can the host quench their thirst?
(Baonghean.vn) - At 5:00 p.m. on May 18, coach Pham Anh Tuan and his team will host the bottom-ranked team Khanh Hoa in round 19 of V.League 2023/2024.
Song Lam Nghe An's goal in this match is to win all 3 points. Because only then will the home team Vinh's chance to escape the danger zone become clearer. It can be said that victory is the command that the leadership and fans of Song Lam Nghe An have given to coach Pham Anh Tuan and his team.
In many aspects, Song Lam Nghe An are considered to have a higher chance of winning. In addition to the advantage of playing at home, coach Pham Anh Tuan also has a fairly high-quality squad, with a series of outstanding faces such as goalkeeper Nguyen Van Viet, defender Tran Dinh Hoang and especially foreign player Michael Olaha.
Before the match with Khanh Hoa, the Nghe An team had just gone through a series of 10 consecutive matches without a win in all competitions (lost 6, drew 4). As a result, they are currently languishing in the second-to-last position on the rankings, the position that must participate in the playoff match with the runner-up of the National First Division. To avoid "a long night of many dreams", coach Pham Anh Tuan and his team must quickly return to a stable orbit.
It should be noted that Song Lam Nghe An will not have the service of Mario Zebic in the match against the team from the "land of agarwood". Due to receiving enough yellow cards (3 cards), the Croatian central defender will have to sit in the stands to watch his teammates compete in round 19. Mario Zebic's absence will significantly affect the strength of Song Lam Nghe An, especially the defense.
On the other side of the front line, Khanh Hoa is almost certain to have a ticket to play in the National First Division 2024/2025. Currently, the gap between them and the team right above them, Song Lam Nghe An, has increased to 6 points, equal to the number of points from 2 wins. If they can defeat the home team Vinh, coach Tran Trong Binh and his team will see "the light at the end of the tunnel".
Unfortunately, the team from the coastal city of Nha Trang has not known what a win is in the last 11 matches (lost 7, drawn 4). It should be noted that in the match between the two teams taking place at 19/8 Stadium, taking place at the end of December 2023, Khanh Hoa was defeated by Song Lam Nghe An with a minimum score of 1-0. In short, it will be very difficult for coach Tran Trong Binh and his team to earn 1 point against Song Lam Nghe An in the next match.
Hopefully, Michael Olaha and his teammates will not disappoint Nghe An football fans any further. If they don’t beat Khanh Hoa, who else can they hope to beat, right, coach Pham Anh Tuan and his team?
