Song Lam Nghe An has a serious force crisis.

After a devastating loss in injury time against Hanoi FC in round 22 of V-League 2024/25,Lam River Nghe Anfacing numerous difficulties in the relegation battle.

Coach Phan Nhu Thuat and his team are facing some tough challenges. In round 23, Song Lam Nghe An will have to travel to Ha Tinh Stadium, which is considered a "dangerous place" this season. In round 24, they will continue to face Nam Dinh. The defending champions will still need points for the championship race because they are only 5 points behind Hanoi FC, so they are determined to win against Song Lam Nghe An to soon take the throne this season. At that time, Song Lam Nghe An will most likely be left behind in the relegation race.

At the moment, coach Phan Nhu Thuat's team is ranked 12th on the rankings but is only 1 point ahead of Binh Dinh - the second-to-last team and has played 1 more match. The gap with the bottom team Da Nang is only 3 points. This is a gap that can be completely filled at any time. Especially when Song Lam Nghe An has to face Hong Linh Ha Tinh. Coach Nguyen Thanh Cong's team is in very good form this season.

Hong Linh Ha Tinh currently has 7 wins, 14 draws and only 1 loss. They are currently in 4th place on the rankings and are only 1 point behind the medal group. With their current form and spirit, coach Nguyen Thanh Cong's team will certainly be very determined when welcoming Song Lam Nghe An at home. This makes the Nghe team's scoring a truly difficult task.

Not only facing a disadvantageous opponent, Song Lam Nghe An is also facing a serious force crisis. All of the regularly used central defenders cannot play in round 23 due to injuries and suspensions. This is truly a "catastrophe" that coach Phan Nhu Thuat and his team must face in the life-and-death phase of the season.

Specifically, the mainstay center back Hoang Van Khanh was penalized with 3 yellow cards and will definitely have to sit out the match against Ha Tinh. Foreign player Zaracho had a relapse of his ankle injury and has not been able to return to practice with his teammates. Center back Le Van Thanh also suffered an arm injury during the training session and has not yet recovered. In addition, Tran Nam Hai - a young player who has been playing quite consistently in the last 3 rounds is also suffering from a slight pain and is uncertain to play in the next round.

With serious losses in force, Song Lam Nghe An currently has only 3 players who can play in the center-back position, including Phan Van Thanh, Le Nguyen Hoang and Ho Khac Luong. However, all three have made almost no significant contributions throughout this year's season. Ho Khac Luong, although recovered from a long-term injury, has not played a single minute in 2025. Phan Van Thanh has only played 2 times in the starting lineup at the beginning of the season, the rest of the time he mainly came on from the bench in tactical substitutions. Le Nguyen Hoang has even less time to play, having only 1 official appearance due to frequent problems with a chronic groin ligament injury.

Faced with such huge obstacles in terms of personnel, coach Phan Nhu Thuat will certainly have to “scratch his head” a lot to find a solution to the personnel problem in the defense. Because looking at the remaining names, even the most optimistic person will find it difficult to believe in a positive result for Song Lam Nghe An on Ha Tinh field.

It is worth mentioning that if they do not gain points in the next round, Song Lam Nghe An will likely face the risk of direct relegation instead of a play-off ticket as fans previously thought. In the context of the teams behind them playing at a high level, the possibility of Song Lam Nghe An being surpassed is entirely possible.