Song Lam Nghe An and the mission to beat HAGL.

(Baonghean.vn) - It must be said that this year HAGL is not as financially powerful as in previous years. The entire HAGL Arsenal JMG Academy is mortgaged to the bank, players' and coaching staff salaries are in arrears, and bonuses are meager. However, this doesn't mean SLNA will easily "bully" the team from the Central Highlands, even though they have sold three of their best players compared to last year.

Currently, HAGL also has 2 wins, 1 draw, and 3 losses, with 7 points like SLNA and Than QN, but they are ranked above the team from Nghe An province due to a better goal difference (+2 and -4).

Except for the goal-scoring spree (5-0) at Hang Day Stadium at the beginning of the season against SG FC, HAGL has not had favorable results. At home, they lost to SHB Da Nang (1-2), drew with Than Quang Ninh (0-0), and came from behind to win against XSKT Can Tho (2-1). Away from home, they lost to Dong Thap (1-2) and Hai Phong (2-4). Clearly, the home opponents of the team from Pleiku, SHB Da Nang, Than Quang Ninh, and XSKT Can Tho, are all of a similar level to SLNA, so coach Quang Truong can be confident that HAGL can play on equal terms with them.

The young players of Hoang Anh Gia Lai (in blue shirts) are making steady progress in the V-League.

In terms of personnel, Quoc Tuan's coaching skills are rated higher by experts than Quang Truong's. The way HAGL came from behind against XSKT.Can Tho, who played quite steadily, while SLNA lost to Than Quang Ninh, clearly demonstrates this.

If they fall behind, SLNA's chances of turning the situation around are practically zero. On the field, Japanese player Ideguchi has better game control than Ngoc Hai, and also possesses a powerful long-range shot from 30 meters. Ideguchi's dribbling style is quite similar to former SLNA captain Quang Tinh, occasionally cutting between the center-back and full-back, turning the ball and crossing it into the top corner. Brazilian striker Osmar, 1.8m tall, has scored 3 goals in the last 2 matches and his aerial ability is considered superior to Odat's.

The attacking prowess of the HAGL duo Van Toan and Osmar is not as strong as that of Odat and Baba, meaning they are less likely to disrupt the visitors' play. However, this pair is much better at one-two passing, coordination, and creating opportunities than the SLNA foreign duo. A similar trend is that Van Thanh, after returning from the national team, has also shown signs of declining form, similar to Phi Son and Dinh Hoang, even though he was the one who provided the assist for Minh Vuong's second goal in the match against XSKT Can Tho.

SLNA fans are expected to fill the stadium in the highlands with yellow.

This is the fourth assist for this player from Hai Duong, so Quang Truong will certainly have to talk a lot with his players about this name. On SLNA's side, theoretically, this wing is also very strong with two national team players defending that position. So, who will win on this wing remains an unanswered question… if Phi Son and Dinh Hoang combine effectively again, Van Thanh will find it difficult to participate in attacks, and vice versa.

HAGL, playing at home, possesses a central axis of players like Van Pho, Ideguchi, and Van Toan, along with Tran Vu and Thanh Tung, who can control the pace of the game thanks to their ball control and short-range passing abilities. Interestingly, noticing the fatigue of their key players, HAGL's coach Quoc Tuan abandoned the short-passing, triangular passing style in favor of longer passes over the top.

Throughout the second half of the match against XSKT. Can Tho, HAGL players repeatedly launched crosses to Osmar, both low and high. Meanwhile, SLNA relied on the acceleration of the Odat-Baba duo and, more recently, midfielder Xuan Thang. Certainly, SLNA wouldn't be foolish enough to engage in an open attacking game against the home team for the entire 90 minutes, but when to launch an offensive depends on Quang Truong's ability to read the game.

Observing HAGL's draws and losses, we see that the team from Pleiku always struggles against physically strong opponents who constantly press and are tightly marked in their own half. Watching Hai Phong's Khánh Lâm, Quốc Trung, and Hồng Việt constantly move and stifle the midfield to isolate Hồng Duy, Văn Thanh, and Văn Toàn, the SLNA coaching staff will surely learn many valuable lessons for the upcoming match.

It must be said that the highly anticipated North Central Vietnam derby against their neighbor FLC Thanh Hoa will only take place in round 9, but for now, the SLNA coaching staff needs to carefully study their two rivals, HAGL and Long An, to ensure they secure at least 4 points before heading to Thanh Hoa.

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