Football

HÀ NỘI — Hà Nội FC are confident of defeating Sài Gòn FC in the sixth round of the V.League 1 tomorrow to retain their top ranking in the league.

The match will be held at Hàng Đẫy Stadium at 7pm.

The capital team rank first with four wins and one draw to have 13 points. They are the league’s top scorer with 14 goals and have only one losing goal after five rounds. Sài Gòn, on the other hand, have one win, one draw and three losses and rank 12th.

Hà Nội FC have seven members of the national Under-23 squad that finished second in the U23 Asian Football Confederation in China in January.Among them, midfielders Trần Đình Trọng and Đỗ Duy Mạnh showed excellent performance as defensive midfielders, helping Việt Nam withstand heavy pressure in most of the team’s matches at the U23 Championship. They have played all league games for Hà Nội this season.

Moreover, playing on the home turf will be an added advantage for Hà Nội to gain three points.

However, Hà Nội lost both the games to Sài Gòn in their two league matches last year.

Sài Gòn may spring a surprise tomorrow under the guidance of young coach Phan Văn Tài Em, who replaced Nguyễn Đức Thắng.

In another game at Pleiku Stadium in the Central Higlands province of Gia Lai, Hoàng Anh Gia Lai (HAGL) will face SHB Đà Nẵng.

HAGL are desperate for a win to raise their rankings. They rank 11th with five points, while their rival is in the sixth place with seven points.

HAGL’s players may feel demoralised by a 0-5 loss to Hà Nội in the third round and a 1-3 loss to a weaker rival, Sài Gòn FC, in the fifth round.

HAGL’s weak point appear to be its defence. While their attackers may take control of the game, they often suffer loss due to poor defending. 

Strikers Nguyễn Công Phượng, Nguyễn Văn Toàn and Gordon Rimario could not score enough goals to help secure a win for the team.

Meanwhile, Quảng Ninh Coal, who rank third with 10 points, will face bottom-ranked Nam Định today. They are confident of earning three points to chase Hà Nội for the title.

At Tam Kỳ Stadium tomorrow, defending champions Quảng Nam will play Khánh Hòa.

The win against Hải Phòng in the last round will be a driving force for Quảng Nam in the match against Khánh Hòa.

HCM City will take on Hải Phòng FC at Thống Nhất Stadium. — VNS