V.League 2023: A fierce battle between two giants.

1.The race for the top spots is heating up.

As usual, Hanoi FC remains a top contender for the championship this season. The core of last season's squad has been largely retained, including Do Duy Manh, Nguyen Thanh Chung, and Bui Hoang Viet Anh in defense, Nguyen Hung Dung and Nguyen Hai Long in midfield, and Van Quyet, Tuan Hai, and Lucao in attack. Furthermore, the addition of the Brazilian duo, striker William Henrique and midfielder De Souza Carlos, further strengthens Hanoi FC. With a high-quality and balanced squad across all three lines, combined with the talent of coach Bozidar Bandovic, the loss of players like midfielder Duc Huy (who joined Nam Dinh) or defender Doan Van Hau (who joined Hanoi Police) does not significantly affect the strength of the reigning champions.V.League.

Defending champions Hanoi FC remain the top contender for the title. (Photo: VPF)

Hanoi Police FC is also predicted to be a fierce contender for the championship title against Hanoi FC. With comprehensive reinforcements from the coaching staff to the on-field positions, the police team is the most active in the transfer market. First is coach Paulo Foiani, who is expected to build a beautiful and attractive playing style for Hanoi Police FC. This is entirely plausible, as the Brazilian coach has a wealth of high-quality players at his disposal. These include Doan Van Hau, Vu Van Thanh, Ho Tan Tai, and Phan Van Duc, all familiar faces from the Vietnamese national team. Along with them are quality foreign players like Jesus Silva, Petrovic Todor, and Tsouma Fred. Especially noteworthy is the blockbuster signing of Filip Nguyen, who has already demonstrated his class in Europe. With great ambitions in this year's tournament, Hanoi Police FC will be one of the contenders for the V.League 2023 championship.

While not investing as heavily as Hanoi Police FC, Viettel Club will still be a formidable opponent this season. This is a well-rounded team with a combination of quality domestic players and outstanding foreign players. With Nguyen Thanh Binh, Bui Tien Dung, Nguyen Hoang Duc, Nham Manh Dung, Jaha, and Geovane, coach Thach Bao Khanh's squad will be ready to compete on equal footing with any opponent. Although they have parted ways with goalkeeper Nguyen Manh and midfielder Ho Khac Ngoc, the quality additions from the youth academy will ensure Viettel Club maintains depth in the long race of the V.League 2023.

2.Who will be the dark horse?

While Topenland Binh Dinh and Hai Phong were the dark horses of the 2022 V.League season, this year there will also be quite a few contenders ready to spring surprises.

The 2023 V.League will bring exciting matches to football fans nationwide. (Photo: VPF)

First, there's the newly emerging powerhouse, Nam Dinh Steel Club. With significant investment in the transfer market, coach Vu Hong Viet's team hopes for a strong transformation this season. Players like Nguyen Manh, Van Khanh, Hong Duy, Duc Huy, Khac Ngoc... will make Nam Dinh Steel Club's defense and midfield very noteworthy. The attack will feature quality foreign players such as Pedro Paulo, Hendrio, and Gerard Fonullet. The challenge for Nam Dinh Steel Club is to integrate and smoothly operate these quality players to create a formidable team in the 2023 V.League season.

Another team showing great determination this season is Dong A Thanh Hoa. The appointment of coach Velizar Popov and the addition of two big-name attacking players, Bruno Cunha and Paulo Sardin, shows that the team owned by Mr. Doan wants to achieve a high position in the V.League 2023 standings. With their disruptive playing style, especially the advantage of playing at home in Thanh Hoa, the team from Thanh Hoa is predicted to be a dark horse this season.

Finishing third last season, Topenland Binh Dinh should have been one of the top contenders for the championship this year. However, financial difficulties faced by their sponsor have led to the departure of several key players, most notably national team defender Ho Tan Tai and midfielder Hendrio. Despite this, Topenland Binh Dinh still boasts many quality players, including goalkeeper Dang Van Lam, who recently performed excellently at the 2022 AFF Cup, midfielders Cao Van Trien and Bui Van Thuan, and the duo Rafaelson and Jermie Lynch. Coach Duc Thang's team will remain a formidable opponent in the 2023 V.League.

In keeping with its traditions,Lam River, Nghe AnThey will always aspire to a high position in the standings. Despite parting ways with Hoang Van Khanh, Phan Van Duc, and Oseni, the addition of two quality foreign players from Europe and the remarkable progress of young players like Ho Van Cuong, Dinh Xuan Tien, and Le Van Thanh means the Nghe An team still possesses a fairly good squad. However, the team's weakness likely lies in its squad depth, with a significant gap between the starting lineup and the reserves. Therefore, the coach...Huy HoangThey will have to "make do with what they have" to have a successful season.

Song Lam Nghe An will still be a formidable opponent in this year's tournament. (Photo: VPF)

Besides the aforementioned teams, clubs like Hai Phong, Becamex Binh Duong, Hoang Anh Gia Lai, and Ho Chi Minh City FC will also be unpredictable dark horses, ready to create exciting surprises in this year's tournament. Along with them are the "underdog" teams like Khanh Hoa FC and Hong Linh Ha Tinh, who will have a tough season battling to avoid relegation in the V.League 2023.