Hoang Anh Gia Lai, finishing sixth last season, had a disappointing start to the new season, suffering an ignominious defeat 4-2 against Khanh Hoa at Nha Trang Stadium last week.

They hope to dominate tomorrow’s match against a team that expert commentators have said will have to fight hard in every match to escape relegation.

The Central Highlands team, which does not lack for funds to attract the best talent, entered the new season with a few positive changes, the most important one being the hiring of Kiatisak Senamuang as the head coach. The Thai coach had made an immediate impact, guiding the club to the victory at the HCM City Football Federation pre-season tournament.

Last Sunday’s defeat has sent a warning to Kiatisak that Hoang Anh Gia Lai has a long way to go if they want to win the title they have not got their hands on for the last five seasons. The match against Hoa Phat Ha Noi is a good chance for Hoang Anh Gia Lai to get back on the right track.

Meanwhile, Becamex Binh Duong, who won the V-League championship in 2007 and 2008, look set to maintain their top position when they take on Megastar Nam Dinh on home turf in the second round of the V-League 2010 tomorrow.

Last season’s runner-up is now in a good mood after an impressive comeback from 2-0 down to demolish Lam Son Thanh Hoa (formerly famous football club The Cong) 6-2 in its opening away match at Thanh Hoa Stadium.

Difficult

Khatoco Khanh Hoa, despite not being considered a title favourite, are usually a difficult rival for any team in the V-League.

In the first round last week, they defeated former champions Hoang Anh Gia Lai 4-2, which surprised football fans around Viet Nam.

Tomorrow, the team will challenge Ha Noi T&T team, where they will attempt to win the tournament at Hang Day Stadium tomorrow in Ha Noi.

While T&T continues to lure talent from across the country and world, Khanh Hoa has been losing qualified members from their team for the past two years. However both teams are home to two national team players, who hope to lead their team to a win.

Tomorrow T&T will play with their strongest line-up in months. The nation’s top striker Le Cong Vinh, who has just returned home from a four-month loan in Portugal, will lead the team, while the Golden Ball winner Duong Hong Son will tend the goal.

Newly-assigned coach Phan Thanh Hung asked his players to play in a 4-5-1 formation, which is a counter-attack style of play. During recent training sessions, only Vinh has played on the forward line. This method is identical to the one implemented by Henrique Calisto, who uses the same formation with the Vietnamese national team.

Using this formation, T&T pocketed a first round win of 2-1 over Hoa Phat Ha Noi, who recently returned to the national premier league after dropping out of the First Division for one year.

Khanh Hoa will base most of their offence around striker Quang Hai and halfback Le Tan Tai, but the team will not have Agostinho on the field, who scored a point for the team last week. Agostinho was sidelined because of a red card.

The second round of tournament will also feature a match between two former champions Dong Tam Long An and Song Lam Nghe An.

Nghe An is not an ideal team for Long An to play against because the team has rarely beaten them.

Coach Nguyen Huu Thang of Nghe An did not allow his players to rest too much when they arrived at HCM City’s Thanh Long Stadium. The entire team has been engaging in intense practice sessions in order to win tomorrow.

In other V-League encounters, Dong Tam Long An take on Song Lam Nghe An at home while Navibank Sai Gon hosts The Vissai Ninh Binh at the Thong Nhat Stadium. All four teams are seeking their first win after drawing their opening matches.

Hai Phong will take on Lam Son Thanh Hoa on Tuesday while defending champions SHB Da Nang and Rubber Corporation Dong Thap are enjoying an early Tet holiday, their match being postponed to May 19.

VietNamNet/VNS