Lineups to start
Pre-match information
Hoang Anh Gia Lai just suffered a 0-1 defeat to The Cong Viettel in the most recent round. Under the guidance of coach Quang Trai, the mountain town team still shows an erratic face when they can win against strong opponents like Nam Dinh, but lose to teams that are rated lower.
At Pleiku home stadium, Hoang Anh Gia Lai has also not created a solid foothold. In the last 3 matches here, they have successively lost to Ninh Binh, drawn with Da Nang and lost to Ho Chi Minh City Police. This makes the home team's goal of winning all 3 points more pressured, in the context that Hoang Anh Gia Lai still needs to accumulate points to ensure safety in the relegation race.
On the other side of the field, Hai Phong has just been blocked from a 2-game winning streak after a 0-1 defeat to Ha Tinh. Coach Chu Dinh Nghiem's team is aiming to squeeze into the medal-winning group, while the gap with the dangerous group is still relatively safe.
However, Hai Phong's away form is a big question mark as they lost 4/5 recent matches played away from home, against opponents such as Ha Tinh, The Cong, Song Lam Nghe An, Hanoi and Becamex Ho Chi Minh City.
In the first leg of this season, Hai Phong once won 3-0 against Hoang Anh Gia Lai. However, at Pleiku stadium, Hoang Anh Gia Lai has an advantage in recent encounters when winning 2 consecutive matches against this opponent.
In terms of force, the two teams are expected to play with almost the strongest squads. HAGL has faces such as Trung Kien, Jairo, Marciel, Conceicao, while Hai Phong places their trust in Dinh Trieu, Hoang Nam, Huu Son and Luiz Antonio.
The match is predicted to be balanced as both teams are in erratic form. A draw is a likely scenario, in the context that both sides have problems in maintaining stability.
