HÀ NỘI — The first leg of the semi-finals of the National Cup will kick off today.

Sông Lam Nghệ An (SLNA) will meet Quảng Nam at the Vinh Stadium, while SHB Đà Nẵng face Becamex Bình Dương at the Chi Lăng Stadium.

All four teams are playing in the national premier league, V.League 1, and will try their best to take the title in the National Cup. Đà Nẵng, Bình Dương and SLNA are currently ranked in the bottom half of the table and will have a hard time making significant progress in the league. While Quảng Nam are second, but the road to a title is still difficult. Winning the Cup will be a solution if they leave the league without a title.

Đà Nẵng, Bình Dương and SLNA have won the Cup twice each, while Quảng Nam have only played in the Cup twice.

Notably, two pairs faced each other in two matches in the league.

Facing Bình Dương, Đà Nẵng won’t have key players, Hà Đức Chinh and Võ Huy Toàn, who haven’t recovered from injury.

Also, Lâm Anh Quang, Đặng Anh Tuấn, Nguyễn Thái Sung and Mai Thanh Nam are out because of injury.

Without these players, Đà Nẵng’s strategy will be seriously affected. However, with the experience of coach Lê Huỳnh Đức, the team hopes to overcome the challenge.

“Bình Dương will make the best use of our tactics in the upcoming game. We will make every effort to beat our rival,” said coach Trần Bình Sự of Bình Dương. — VNS