The team from Thanh Nam is still firmly at the top of the table with 45 points, 5 points more than Hanoi FC. In the previous round, Nam Dinh had a 2-1 victory over Thanh Hoa.
Coach Vu Hong Viet's team has maintained very high performance over the past time when they were unbeaten in 11 consecutive matches in the V.League. Thanks to that, they accelerated at the right time to overcome the advantage in the championship race.
Meanwhile, Hoang Anh Gia Lai has 27 points, 8th on the rankings. In theory, the team from the Mountain City is still likely to be relegated, however, with 8 points ahead of Binh Dinh and 10 points ahead of Da Nang, this possibility is very small as V.League only has 4 rounds left.
In the previous round, Hoang Anh Gia Lai had a dramatic 2-1 victory over Viettel. This result continues to show the unpredictable in the play of the mountain town team. They can play very badly with a team in the last group, but still have enough strength to fall in the championship racing team.
Compared to all aspects, Hoang Anh Gia Lai cannot compete with Nam Dinh at this time. However, the away team's defensive, counter-attacking and relaxed playing style may cause problems for the home team.
Regarding the force, Hoang Anh Gia Lai will continue to be without the service of midfielder Chau Ngoc Quang, due to receiving a red card in the 1-2 loss to Binh Dinh. In addition, midfielder Cao Hoang Minh was also unable to play because he received 3 yellow cards. On Nam Dinh's side, they have almost all the best players to aim for a victory.
The head-to-head record between the two teams is currently leaning slightly towards Hoang Anh Gia Lai. In the last 7 meetings, Hoang Anh Gia Lai won 2 matches, lost 1 match and drew 4 matches. In the first leg of this season, Nam Dinh drew 0-0 at Pleiku.
However, Hoang Anh Gia Lai's away form has not been good recently. They have lost 4/5 of their most recent away matches, including defeats against The Cong Viettel, Hanoi Police, Ho Chi Minh City and Binh Dinh.
The match between Nam Dinh and Hoang Anh Gia Lai will take place at 6:00 p.m. on May 18.
