Coach Lê Huỳnh Đức of Đà Nẵng is under heavy pressure after his team have lost three matches in the V.League 1. Đà Nẵng will host Quảng Nam on Thursday. Photo laodong.vn

Football

HÀ NỘI — Coach Lê Huỳnh Đức is safe for now after SHB Đà Nẵng denied rumours he would be sacked after the team lost its third V. League 1 match in a row.

Reports have also came out that Đức wanted to coach Sài Gòn FC for the rest of the season. Sài Gòn are currently coached by their President Vũ Tiến Thành.

Responding to the rumour, the former team national forward Đức kept silent but Đà Nẵng President Bùi Xuân Hoà said: “I do not hear anything and do not know this news. Coach Lê Huỳnh Đức is still taking charge of the team in the V.League 1.”

Đức had a successful first stint at the club from 2008-17, guiding Đà Nẵng to V.League 1 titles in 2009 and 2012. The team also finished second in the 2013 season and third in 2016.

However, since his return to the team in 2019, things have been much different.

Đà Nẵng have lost four out of five matches in two tournaments, were eliminated from the National Cup and are currently the bottom of the V.League 1 table.

It is believed that his fate will depend on the result of the fourth match when Đà Nẵng host Quảng Nam at Hòa Xuân Stadium today.

Home turf is Đà Nẵng's only advantage in this match, though the return of young striker Hà Đức Chinh could change that. Chinh recently recovered from Hepatitis B and elevated liver enzymes which kept him in hospital for weeks. He has trained with teammates but could play only one match at the National Cup in May before being left out of the V.League 1 squad last week.

Chinh has confirmed that he is ready to play but Đức has not decided yet if he will be selected.

The forward would greatly add to Đà Nẵng’s attack as their foreign forwards have yet to show their worth, with only Nigerian Ismahil Akinade notching a goal in their 4-1 loss to Sài Gòn FC in March.

Đức has complained about his lack of good players due to injuries in recent press briefings, calling injuries the main reason for Đà Nẵng’s free-falling in the V.League 1.

Coming to Hòa Xuân, Quảng Nam are in good form after they overcame a shock loss to Hồng Lĩnh Hà Tĩnh in the National Cup to secure their first V.League 1 win of the season by beating Thanh Hóa FC 2-1 last week.

Coach Vũ Hồng Việt can put his trust in striker Papa Ibou Kebe who signed from Hà Nội FC on loan early this month. The Frenchman showed his worth immediately, scoring the opener in his debut in the team’s win over Thanh Hóa.

The other matches in the V.League 1 today are between Becamex Bình Dương and Hải Phòng and Viettel against Quảng Ninh.

Four other matches will be on Friday with the key game between Hoàng Anh Gia Lai and Nam Định in Pleiku City, a rematch of National Cup qualifier when Hoàng Anh Gia Lai lost 2-0 last month. — VNS