Round 20 V.League: SLNA, Ho Chi Minh City have easy time, Hanoi has difficulty
(Baonghean.vn) - The 20th round of V.League will resume this afternoon (August 9) with the match between HAGL and Viettel, however the focus is still on the race for the top spot between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, along with Khanh Hoa's battle to avoid relegation.
HAGL – Viettel: Weak defense meets blunt attack
Up to now, HAGL is one of the 4 teams that have conceded the most goals after 19 rounds with 33 goals. However, their opponent in the match in round 20 can make the team from the mountain town somewhat less worried because Viettel is the team with the worst attack in V.League with only 17 goals scored.
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| HAGL currently owns one of the worst defenses in V.League. Photo: VPF |
Although Viettel's defense has the presence of two players Que Ngoc Hai and Bui Tien Dung, having conceded 25 goals since the beginning of the season, facing a strong attack like HAGL seems to be a difficult problem to solve.
In addition, Viettel's absence of central defender Janclesio, who is suspended due to a red card he received in the match against SLNA, will give HAGL more options for attacking solutions.
Prediction: HAGL 2-0 Viettel
Quang Nam - Ho Chi Minh City: Will there be more missteps?
In the final stages of the season, when the championship race is getting intense, the match schedule continuously brings Khanh Hoa and Quang Nam, the two teams at the bottom of the rankings, to the team from the city named after Uncle Ho. It seemed that Ho Chi Minh City would have an easy victory in round 19 when welcoming the bottom team Khanh Hoa at Thong Nhat Stadium. However, the 1-2 result after the match ended surprised everyone.
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| Ho Chi Minh City has no luck in winning when facing teams at the bottom of the table. Photo: VPF |
Prediction: Quang Nam 2-3 Ho Chi Minh City
Hanoi - Thanh Hoa: The unlucky guest
Although Hanoi always makes every team in V.League afraid when facing each other, Thanh Hoa is different. Every time facing the capital team, no matter the situation, the Thanh team always plays on par with the defending champion. In the last 5 confrontations, the 2 teams are still indecisive with 2 wins for each team and 1 draw.
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| Thanh Hoa has never been Hanoi's favorite opponent. Photo: VPF |
Prediction: Hanoi 1-1 Thanh Hoa
SLNA – Hai Phong: Winning and advancing
After a series of 5 matches with only draws and losses, SLNA has found its first victory in the second leg with a score of 3-1 against Viettel and when they have the inspiration to attack, can the Nghe An team win another victory when their opponent in this round is only Hai Phong?
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| Already knowing the taste of victory, can SLNA continue to win? Photo: VPF |
The Hai Phong team is in an internal crisis as well as the scandal with striker Stevens has not been resolved. After a 1-2 defeat to Saigon in the previous round, they dropped to 13th place and are only 5 points behind the bottom team Khanh Hoa.
Prediction: SLNA 2-0 Hai Phong
The remaining confrontations
Khanh Hoa will continue to face another big challenge, SHB Da Nang, in this round after a dramatic 2-1 victory at Ho Chi Minh City in the previous round to get 3 extremely important points. Meanwhile, Da Nang had a 1-1 draw at Cua Ong Stadium and is still maintaining its position in the top 4.
The confrontation between the two teams with the largest and most professional fan bases between Than Quang Ninh and Nam Dinh promises to be one of the most exciting matches of the 20th round. Both teams received a draw in the previous round and are in dire need of points to nurture their hopes of achieving higher positions on the rankings when the season ends.
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| Nam Dinh brought the most exciting match in the 19th round. Photo: VPF |
Forecast:
Khanh Hoa 1-0 SHB Da Nang
Quang Ninh Coal 2-1 Nam Dinh
Saigon FC 2-1 Becamex Binh Duong
