Waiting for coach Le Huynh Duc to show his skills.

Coach Le Huynh Duc is expected to lead Ho Chi Minh City Police FC to victory over league leaders Ninh Binh in the most anticipated match of Round 11 of the V-League 2025-2026, taking place at 7:15 PM today (November 9th, broadcast live on FPT Play) at Thong Nhat Stadium.

Will coach Le Huynh Duc lead CATP FC to defeat league leaders Ninh Binh ? - Photo: NK

Under the guidance of coach Albadalejo Gerard, newcomer Ninh Binh has become a sensation this season, consistently leading the V-League with 10 unbeaten matches (7 wins, 3 draws).

However, the Spanish coach will face a significant challenge from coach Le Huynh Duc, who caused two title contenders, Hanoi (losing 1-2) and Nam Dinh (drawing 0-0), to leave Thong Nhat Stadium in a rather unpleasant mood.

A crucial turning point for Ninh Binh Club

Despite facing difficulties at times, Ninh Binh FC, with its star-studded squad, has managed to overcome them and maintain its leading position. However, the 4-point gap with second-placed Hanoi Police FC could easily be overtaken if the police team wins all of their remaining matches.

Therefore, Ninh Binh Club must win against Ho Chi Minh City Police to maintain their advantage and affirm their position as a championship contender.

At such a crucial time, Ninh Binh FC suffered a major blow to their squad. Coach Albadalejo Gerard was without midfielders Duc Chien and Bao Toan due to accumulating three yellow cards. Center-back Ngoc Bao was still recovering from injury after missing matches since round 8. These three players are all vital links in Ninh Binh FC's midfield and defense.

Without Ngoc Bao, coach Albadalejo Gerard had to field Duc Chien as a center-back in the two matches against PVF-CAND (round 8) and Becamex TP.HCM (round 9), bringing in Vietnamese-American player Tran Thanh Trung as a replacement in midfield.

However, Thanh Trung also suffered an injury and had to leave the field early in the match against Becamex TP.HCM, forcing coach Albadalejo to bring in center-back Le Hai Duc. And he pushed Duc Chien back to play as a midfielder in the hard-fought 1-0 home win against Song Lam Nghe An in round 10.

With both Duc Chien and Thanh Trung unavailable in midfield, Ninh Binh FC faces real difficulties in their away match at Thong Nhat Stadium. Although star midfielder Hoang Duc is still there, the lack of a partner to share the workload will make it difficult for Ninh Binh to create a strong attacking game against the disciplined play of CATP FC.

CATP Club could spring a surprise.

CATP FC secured a very fortunate three points at Hoa Xuan Stadium in Round 10. If the SHB Da Nang defense hadn't made a mistake in clearing the ball just outside the penalty area, striker Bui Van Binh wouldn't have been able to capitalize on his one-on-one opportunity with goalkeeper Phan Van Bieu in the 89th minute.

But whether by luck or not, this victory gives coach Le Huynh Duc's team great confidence as they return home to face title contender Ninh Binh.

Besides the home advantage, the opponent's absence of key players also gives CATP Club a better chance of winning. Playing against a stronger opponent, Coach Le Huynh Duc's team always effectively utilizes their signature defensive counter-attacking style.

The problem is that the CATP strikers need to adjust their aim for greater accuracy in order to make better use of the opportunities they get. Their main striker, Tien Linh, after scoring 3 goals in the first 5 matches of the season, has been goalless for the last 5 games.

With limited resources and the absence of two talented foreign playmakers, Raphael Utzig and Endrick Santos, due to injuries in the last three matches, CATP FC's attack has been struggling. The team suffered consecutive defeats against Hanoi Police and Hai Phong before a fortunate win against SHB Da Nang. But now, Raphael Utzig and Endrick Santos have returned to training, giving coach Le Huynh Duc more options to defeat Ninh Binh.

Replacing Ngoc Bao in the defense, center-back Hai Duc is a weakness that Tien Linh and the CATP Club's attack can exploit. Meanwhile, the early wing attacks, which are a strength of CATP Club, will have even more space to exploit against Ninh Binh's defense, which lacks the long-range shield of Duc Chien, especially on the right flank defended by Quang Hung.

Nevertheless, coach Le Huynh Duc remained quite cautious.

"This year, I see Ninh Binh FC playing exceptionally well. I think other teams also face difficulties when playing against Ninh Binh FC, and so do we. Ho Chi Minh City Police FC has also recently reformed its team, and the players are still being assembled rather than being prepared beforehand. We will try our best to overcome our weaknesses in order to play against Ninh Binh," he said.

Tension at the bottom of the table

The remaining three matches on November 9th – Hoang Anh Gia Lai vs. Thanh Hoa (5 PM, FPT Play live broadcast), Song Lam Nghe An vs. Becamex Ho Chi Minh City (6 PM, FPT Play live broadcast), and Hai Phong vs. SHB Da Nang (6 PM, FPT Play & VTV5 live broadcast) – are also noteworthy.

With both teams having 7 points after 9 matches, Hoang Anh Gia Lai and Thanh Hoa understand exactly what they need to do in their direct confrontation to escape the bottom of the table. Song Lam Nghe An (7 points) also must win against Becamex Ho Chi Minh City (11 points) to avoid relegation.

Similarly, SHB Da Nang (7 points) must also try to get points on the home ground of Hai Phong Club (17 points), which is considered stronger and in good form.

NGUYEN KHOI

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/cho-hlv-le-huynh-duc-tro-tai-20251108234438778.htm