V.League Round 14: Than Quang Ninh confident, SLNA cautious.

(Baonghean.vn) – Despite the absence of several key players, the Nghe An team remains highly determined in their opening match of the second leg of the V.League 2017 on Saturday afternoon at Vinh Stadium, as they welcome Than Quang Ninh.

Regarding SLNA's squad situation, Dinh Hoang is still recovering from injury and unavailable, while Tuan Tai and Manh Hung are also sidelined due to accumulating three yellow cards. However, this does not diminish the team's determination in their match against Than Quang Ninh.

Coach Nguyen Duc Thang said: “The trio of Van Khanh, Sy Nam, and Van Vinh are all important pillars of SLNA, and their absence would be a significant loss for us.”

SLNA's coaching staff is working with foreign players ahead of the deadline for finalizing foreign player registrations on June 29th - Photo: Trung Kien

The emphatic victory against Ho Chi Minh City in the second leg of the semi-final doesn't reveal much; it only shows the effort and determination of the entire team. However, the positive results and the momentum from the National Cup will help the players gain more confidence as they begin the challenging second half of the 2017 V.League season.

I still have high regard and great respect for Than Quang Ninh. They are a strong team, with quality foreign players, significant investment, and substantial reinforcements to compete for medals in the V.League. The upcoming match will certainly be a tough one for SLNA. However, playing at home, with our morale very high after reaching the semi-finals of the National Cup, the whole team's goal remains to secure all three points against Than Quang Ninh.”

Regarding Than Quang Ninh, midfielder Hai Huy stated: “We are well-prepared for the match against SLNA tomorrow. The home team will be playing with one foreign player, which is a definite advantage for Than Quang Ninh. Our goal is to win at Vinh Stadium.”

Facing SLNA, Than Quang Ninh will field two foreign players and one naturalized player - Photo: Trung Kien

To prepare for this match, Than Quang Ninh traveled to Vinh immediately after their quarter-final match against SHB Da Nang in the National Cup (June 16th). For SLNA, it's likely they will make some adjustments to their defense tomorrow, with Ngoc Hai and Minh Duc as the central defenders. Ngoc Duc and Xuan Manh could play on the flanks, or The Nhat could replace Sy Nam. The Nghe An team will need to be highly vigilant because their opponent will field two foreign strikers, Patiyo and Dyachenko, and one naturalized player, Trung Hieu.

Trung Kien