Commentator Quang Huy: 'Bottom group of V-League escapes danger'

BLV Vu Quang Huy believes that LPBank V-League 2025/2026 is entering a highly tense period in the relegation battle. Every team wants to escape the "storm zone" as soon as possible.

BLV Vu Quang Huy observes: "The championship race has witnessed CAHN's dominance. Not only leading the second-placed team The Cong Viettel by 9 points, CAHN also demonstrates stability and depth in their squad. In the upcoming rounds, if they maintain this momentum, Coach Polking's team will clinch the title.

A key factor helping CAHN break away is the stability in the coaching position. While direct competitors like Nam Dinh, Hanoi FC, or Ninh Binh have experienced continuous changes in their head coach positions, Coach Mano Polking has been working here for the third consecutive year. This period is sufficient for the Brazilian tactician to establish a clear football philosophy, enabling the players to absorb the playing style and operate the machinery smoothly.

In the context of the season entering its decisive phase, composure and stability are giving CAHN a significant advantage over their chasing rivals. Not only widening the gap with the chasing group, CAHN is also very close to determining the championship race as the upcoming schedule is quite favorable (meeting PVF-CAND in round 18, CATP.HCM in round 19, SLNA in round 20). These teams all have their own difficulties. If they can "resolve" these three matches, Coach Polking's team will be in a much easier position before facing Nam Dinh (round 22) and Thanh Hoa (round 23). Even if The Cong Viettel encounters "unforeseen difficulties" against the resilient Thanh Hoa team in this round 18, CAHN could start thinking about the championship title several rounds earlier."

BLV Vu Quang Huy believes that while the championship race sees CAHN's dominance, the relegation battle is extremely tense in the rest of the league: "The lower half of the standings before round 18 features up to five representatives from Central region football. SLNA, Hong Linh Ha Tinh, Thanh Hoa, HAGL, and SHB Da Nang are currently, along with PVF-CAND and Becamex TP.HCM, in an unpredictable "storm zone".

The most resilient in the relegation battle must be Thanh Hoa. In circumstances where the squad was almost insufficient to register for a match, the Thanh region team still secured crucial points. After resolving the FIFA penalty, Thanh Hoa players played as if relieved of immense pressure. If they maintain this "Thanh spirit", the final position of Coach Mai Xuan Hop's team may not be high, but staying in the V-League is feasible.

SLNA also faces many hardships in the upcoming stretch. Without a good result against SHB Da Nang, Coach Van Sy Son's team will face difficulties in two consecutive away matches against Thanh Hoa and CAHN. Hong Linh Ha Tinh also cannot rest assured as they haven't reached the safe point threshold. Moreover, in recent matches, Coach Nguyen Cong Manh's team seems to have been figured out by opponents. This is a problem Coach Nguyen Cong Manh needs to solve when visiting Hanoi FC in this round.

For Thanh Hoa, the clash with their former figure Popov now as head coach of The Cong Viettel at Hang Day in round 18 will soon determine a pivotal turning point before returning home to face two direct rivals SLNA and PVF-CAND. If they capitalize on the excitement from the impressive victory in round 17, Coach Mai Xuan Hop's team could achieve something significant.

Thien Truong Stadium has never been an easy destination, especially when the host Nam Dinh possesses good form with a winning streak. The disparity in squad depth between the reserve players and the main lineup is causing HAGL concern about their ability to withstand the intense attacking pressure from the home team. If they cannot secure points in this expedition, HAGL is entirely at risk of sinking deeper into the relegation vortex.

For SHB Da Nang, returning from Vinh after the match with direct rival SLNA, they will face two extremely tough challenges: Nam Dinh and The Cong Viettel. Without a good result in Vinh, SHB Da Nang, already struggling, will face even greater difficulties."