Nam Dinh Steel Blue is leading the rankings with 31 points. They have been eliminated from the National Cup as well as the continental playground. Therefore, winning the V.League is the only remaining goal of coach Vu Hong Viet and his team.
Nam Dinh has spent a lot of money and recruited many players to successfully defend the V.League championship. With only 3 points ahead of The Cong Viettel, the home team at Thien Truong Stadium needs to defeat Hai Phong to consolidate their position. If they do not win, it is likely that the team from Thanh Nam will be approached by their opponents.
The form is in favor of Nam Dinh as they have been unbeaten in the last 5 matches in the V.League, including 3 wins. More importantly, coach Vu Hong Viet has solved the difficult problem of personnel, which is the absence of Xuan Son and Van Toan in the attack. In addition, they also decided to part ways with midfielder Hendrio.
The away team is currently ranked 8th on the rankings with 20 points. They are rated much lower than the home team. However, the away team is in good form. They have won 4/5 of their most recent matches, including 3 wins without conceding any goals.
Hai Phong did not need to score too many goals, but played very confidently and difficultly. Their defense played very focused, tight and rolling. Those things signal a difficult match for Nam Dinh at Thien Truong Stadium.
The head-to-head record between the two teams is quite balanced, with each team having won 2 of their last 5 meetings, the remaining match ended in a draw. In the first leg, Nam Dinh won 2-1 away.
In general, returning to competition after a long break will cause many difficulties for both teams. The team that catches the rhythm better will have more opportunities to win. Nam Dinh has every advantage to win all 3 points from home and away. The challenge for the away team will be huge when they are without two important players, defender Dang Van Toi and midfielder Biscou.
Expected lineup:
Nam Dinh: Nguyen Manh, Hong Duy, Duc Huy, Lucas Araujo, Mpande, Van Kien, Tuan Anh, Van Dat, Hoang Anh, Romulo, Van Anh.
Hai Phong: Dinh Trieu, Tien Dung, Nhat Minh, Hoang Nam, Manh Dung, Lucas, Huu Son, Viet Hung, Van Tu, Friday, Ngoc Tu.
Score prediction: Nam Dinh 2-0 Hai Phong.
