Thanh Hoa is currently in 5th place on the rankings with 30 points, 9 points behind the leader Nam Dinh FC. They had a streak of 10 consecutive matches without a win in the V.League, before defeating The Cong Viettel in round 19. However, they unexpectedly lost to bottom-placed Da Nang in round 20.
That defeat disappointed Thanh Hoa fans. Thanh Hoa has missed many opportunities to compete fairly with their opponents in the championship race. The departure of coach Velizar Popov and replacement with Tomislav Steinbrucker has not yet brought the desired results.
Thanh Hoa's most practical goal in the remaining stage is to strive for the Top 3. To do so, they need to make the most of their home advantage to gain points against teams that are considered inferior, including the Ho Chi Minh City team.
The HCMC team currently has 22 points, ranked 10th on the rankings. They are still uncertain to stay in the league, so they still need to accumulate more points. Coach Phung Thanh Phuong's team has gone through 5 consecutive matches without winning in the V.League.
In round 20, they lost 0-1 to Hong Linh Ha Tinh at home. However, in the last 2 away matches, the HCMC team surprised everyone when sharing points with the two championship teams, Nam Dinh and Hanoi Police. That result will give them more motivation to compete against Thanh Hoa.
In the first leg, the two teams drew 2-2 in a match with many controversies about referees. In the last 5 meetings, Ho Chi Minh City has the advantage with 2 wins, 2 draws and 1 loss.
In terms of force, the home team will not have the service of foreign player Gustavo Santos, who has a great influence on the team's playing style. Meanwhile, 2 players of the HCMC team may not play due to injury, Patrik Le Giang and Van Tien.
Expected lineup:
Thanh Hoa: Xuan Hoang, Van Loi, Viet Tu, Thanh Long, Thanh Nam, Luiz Antonio, Thongkham Savath, A Mit, Lam Thuan, Van Thang, ribamar.
HCMC: Nguyen Manh Cuong, Matheus, Tran Manh Cuong, Hoang Phuc, Endrick, Viet Hoang, Vu Tin, Thanh Khoi, Quoc Cuong, Thanh Long, Joao Pedro.
