Song Lam Nghe An and V.League 2025/26 Schedule: No room for mistakes
According to the expected schedule of the first leg of V.League 2025/26, Song Lam Nghe An will have tense matches right from the first matches. Coach Phan Nhu Thuat and his students must have appropriate calculations.
2025/26 seasonwill witness many teams investing heavily to compete for the championship, even a newly promoted rookie like Ninh Binh is also ranked among the strong teams. Along with representatives who have always been powerful such as Hanoi Football Club, Hanoi Police, Viettel, Nam Dinh Blue Steel, Becamex Ho Chi Minh City, Hai Phong, Dong A Thanh Hoa... there will be at least 7-8 teams capable of maintaining the top position.
On the contrary, in the group of mid-level teams and those who have just escaped from the V.League last season, any team can be a candidate in the relegation race. Those teams are Hoang Anh Gia Lai, Ho Chi Minh City Police, Quang Nam, Song Lam Nghe An, SHB Da Nang. This season, although Hong Linh Ha Tinh is predicted to face many difficulties, it is difficult to put the Hong Mountain team on the list of teams that have to compete for relegation.
The 2025/26 season will be much more intense than previous seasons because there are 2 direct relegation slots. If we look at the bottom group, the relegation rate is very high for the 5 teams mentioned above, the theoretical relegation rate can be up to 40%. Therefore, the teams are forced to not only have thorough preparation during this period but also have to calculate carefully when entering the tournament.
For Song Lam Nghe An, the current difficulty comes not only from not finding the remaining 2 foreign players in the center back and striker positions but also from the match schedule and travel schedule. According to the draw results and the expected match schedule, the team will have a challenging start.
First is the away match against Quang Nam in the opening match on August 15 at Tam Ky Stadium. Then, Song Lam Nghe An will return to their home field on August 23 but their opponent will be Nam Dinh Blue Steel - the champion who defeated them both the first and second leg last season. In round 3, Song Lam Nghe An will continue to travel away to Lach Tray, Hai Phong on August 27.
These are 3 matches that make Song Lam Nghe An have to constantly move and the teams Quang Nam and Hai Phong, although not really strong, always play well at home. However, if they go through these 3 tense matches, everything will be much easier for coach Phan Nhu Thuat and his students.
In round 4, Song Lam Nghe An will welcome Hong Linh Ha Tinh at Vinh Stadium on September 21 after a break. A week later (September 27), they will continue to play at home against Ho Chi Minh City Police before having to visit Hoang Anh Gia Lai in the next round on October 3. This is a great opportunity for Song Lam Nghe An to increase their score in the first leg with 2 consecutive home matches and Hoang Anh Gia Lai has also lost a lot of strength.
In rounds 7 and 8, Song Lam Nghe An also continuously played at home against Cong An Ha Noi (October 19) and Dong A Thanh Hoa (October 26), but these are 2 very difficult opponents. Against these opponents, the goal of 1 point is suitable and within Song Lam Nghe An's ability.
In round 9 and round 10, the Nghe An team will have to travel to Hoa Xuan Stadium to play SHB Da Nang (November 2) and Ninh Binh Stadium (November 6). In these two away matches, the short break and long travel time put Song Lam Nghe An at a great disadvantage. Song Lam Nghe An's biggest chance in November will come in the match against Ho Chi Minh City at Vinh Stadium on November 9.
The two matches that close the first leg of the 2025/26 season of Song Lam Nghe An are the reception of Hanoi FC on January 31 and the visit of The Cong Viettel on February 8. These are two very difficult matches, but both teams have gone through a long break, with many changes in their squad such as injuries and penalty cards.
For a team with many young players like Song Lam Nghe An, maintaining stability is very difficult, especially during the times when the V.League is interrupted to make way for the National Team training sessions. On the contrary, many times when the tournament is temporarily suspended are also opportunities for the Song Lam Nghe An Coaching Board to evaluate and make appropriate adjustments. If they have high concentration and luck, Song Lam Nghe An can still confidently overcome difficulties./.
