Thanh Hóa are ready for match with PVF-Police in the National Cup’s semi-finals on Wednesday. — Photo courtesy of Thanh Hóa FC

Football

HÀ NỘI — Thanh Hóa will face PVF-Police, and Viettel FC will take on Bình Định in the semi-finals of the National Cup today.

Thanh Hóa will have home advantage as the match will be held at Thanh Hóa Stadium, where fans are guaranteed to show their support.

In this year's National Cup, Thanh Hóa enjoyed a fortunate path so far, skipping the qualifying round and automatically entering the round of 16. Luck was on their side in the draw, as they were assigned home matches from the round of 16 to the semi-finals.

In the round of 16, Thanh Hóa convincingly beat Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu by four goals to nil, securing their spot in the quarter-finals. They carried their winning momentum forward, defeating Phù Đổng 1-0 to secure their place in the semi-finals.

This marks Thanh Hóa's second consecutive season in the National Cup semi-finals, where they once again enjoy the advantage of playing at home. Their opponent in this crucial match is PVF-Police, a team competing in the First Division football tournament (V.League 2).

Playing on their home turf against a lower division team is seen as a significant advantage for Thanh Hóa, increasing their chances of reaching the final and potentially claiming the National Cup title this year. It should be noted that Thanh Hóa will not be able to field foreign players for this match due to their opponent's division status.

PVF-Police, who currently rank second in V.League 2, are still in contention for the top spot and promotion to the V.League 1 next year. They will undoubtedly put up a strong fight against Thanh Hóa, aiming to secure their place in the final and potentially upset the higher-ranked team.

"We must approach this match with utmost respect for our opponent," said coach Velizar Emilov Popov of Thanh Hóa.

"PVF-Police are undeniably one of the strongest teams in V.League 2 and a strong contender for promotion. This makes them a formidable opponent for Thanh Hóa, especially considering our current injury crisis and other factors affecting our squad.

"With restrictions on foreign player usage and key domestic players sidelined, our team's strength has been significantly impacted. Nevertheless, our objective remains to secure a victory, reach the final, and take the title this season."

In the 2022 National Cup, Thanh Hóa claimed the bronze medal after being defeated by Topenland Bình Định in the semi-finals. Their most notable achievement in the National Cup was finishing runners-up in 2018.

Meanwhile, Viettel find themselves without a chance to win the V.League 1 championship after a 0-3 loss to Hà Nội Police in their penultimate match. Consequently, Viettel are eager to secure the 2023 National Cup title to avoid ending the season empty-handed.

However, their path to achieving their goal won't be easy as they face their arch-rivals, Bình Định, at Hàng Đẫy Stadium in Hà Nội. Not long ago, Bình Định managed to hold Viettel to a goalless draw at the same stadium during a V.League 1 encounter. Furthermore, Bình Định possesses the talented striker Rafaelson Bezerra Fernandes, who has impressively scored 15 goals in the V.League 1 2023 and the National Cup 2023. — VNS