The competition between "the miserable"

Two famous football teams in the past, Hoang Anh Gia Lai and Song Lam Nghe An, will face each other with the determination to escape the risk of relegation at the end of this season.

Round 6 of V-League 2025-2026 witnessed a dramatic match between Hoang Anh Gia Lai and Song Lam Nghe An at Pleiku Stadium at 5:00 p.m. on October 3 (FPT Play). The two teams are currently at the bottom of the rankings.

Hoang Anh Gia Lai "silent"

Hoang Anh Gia Lai did not have a smooth start to the 2025-2026 season, receiving 2 draws and 2 losses after 4 matches played in the V-League. The first victory of the mountain town team in the new season was in the National Cup qualifying round, when coach Le Quang Trai's team beat host Thanh Hoa with a score of 2-0.

This season, Hoang Anh Gia Lai continues to utilize its own trained human resources and does not possess highly skilled foreign players. Therefore, they are the only team that has not scored a goal in the V-League this season. Through 4 matches, Mr. Duc's team has conceded 4 goals, including the opening match, losing 0-3 to Becamex TP HCM right at home.

Experts highly appreciate Hoang Anh Gia Lai's youth football training but also believe that inexperienced talents are not very effective when playing in the V-League. In addition, modern tactics emphasize attacking play or high pressing, but coach Le Quang Trai's team is almost "harmless" in attacking coordination. The team builds a defense-based strategy, but this strategy can easily be "bankrupted" if they concede early goals.

The young players of Hoang Anh Gia Lai do not have enough courage and stature to replace the senior players who just left the team before the 2025-2026 season. Attackers such as Vinh Nguyen, Ryan Ha, Dinh Lam or Gia Bao... are still inexperienced when facing veteran defenders. That is the reason why Hoang Anh Gia Lai has been "dry" of goals for a long time.

Pleiku fans were quite disappointed after the team lost at home at the beginning of the new season. Therefore, winning against Song Lam Nghe An in round 6 is a way for coach Le Quang Trai and his team to rekindle the fans' trust, thereby improving their position on the rankings.

Hoang Anh Gia Lai currently has 2 points and is temporarily at the second bottom of the rankings, but still has 2 matches left to play. However, if they do not improve their attack, the mountain town team will continue to be the leading candidate for relegation at the end of this season.

Hoang Anh Gia Lai is the only team that has not scored in V-League 2025-2026 after 5 rounds. Photo: VPF

Nghe An football team is unstable

Meanwhile, Song Lam Nghe An struggled to get 4 points after 5 matches and temporarily ranked 11th. Unsatisfactory performance forced coach Phan Nhu Thuat to resign.

Nghe An football is in the process of rejuvenation and is the team that owns the youngest average age of players in the V-League in recent years. Similar to Hoang Anh Gia Lai, because of not being "keen" on buying good foreign players and strengthening the force, Song Lam Nghe An has also fallen into a difficult situation of fighting for relegation in the last 3 seasons.

Renovating the coaching staff is just a way to revive the team's fighting spirit and this is unlikely to improve performance quickly. Interim coach Nguyen Huy Hoang is very knowledgeable about his home country's football, but the former Vietnam national team midfielder has yet to show his tactical talent since starting his coaching career.

The away match at Pleiku Stadium is considered the first opportunity for Mr. Huy Hoang to prove his maturity in coaching. But in the situation where the home team is determined to have the first win in V-League this season, the Nghe An team will face many challenges.

At 6:00 p.m. on October 3, Hong Linh Ha Tinh (7 points) will welcome "newcomer" PVF-CAND (5 points) at home (FPT Play).

Source: https://nld.com.vn/man-so-tai-giua-nhung-nguoi-cung-kho-196251002211419963.htm