Nam Dinh Club vs Gamba Osaka: Once you start, you have to see it through

Nam Dinh FC has accepted to sacrifice V-League to advance in the international arena. They are looking forward to a great match with Gamba Osaka, the biggest opponent in Group F of AFC Champions League Two.

Nam Dinh Club's poor performance domestically in exchange for victory in the continent - Photo: NGOC LE

At 5:00 p.m. this afternoon, October 22, Vietnam time, Nam Dinh Club will play Gamba Osaka (Japan) away in the third round of Group F AFC Champions League Two 2025 - 2026. With 6 points after 2 matches, this match between the two teams will decide the top spot in the group after the first leg.

Nam Dinh FC will likely send out their best foreign players to play in this match. They almost gave up the domestic tournament to focus on the continental arena.

At this time in V-League, Nam Dinh has just gone through its fourth consecutive match without a win, including three losses and dropped to 9th place on the rankings. Since the beginning of the season, coach Vu Hong Viet's team has only won 2 out of 7 matches.

The international performance shows a different side of Nam Dinh. In the ASEAN Club Championship, Nam Dinh beat Svay Rieng. In the AFC Champions League Two, they beat Ratchaburi and Eastern and are aiming to get points against Gamba Osaka on their home ground.

"This is an important match because both we and our opponents are competing for the top spot in the table with two previous wins.

I am impressed with Gamba Osaka's midfield, they have two extremely high-quality central midfielders (Shuto Abe and Tokuma Suzuki). In addition, the domestic striker wearing the number 7 shirt (Takashi Usami) is also very dangerous. Those are the players we need to pay special attention to in this match," Coach Vu Hong Viet shared.

Captain Lucas Alves said: "Teams from J-League are always very strong, Gamba Osaka is no exception. However, Nam Dinh has a little experience having faced Hiroshima last season. It won't be easy, but the whole Nam Dinh team will play their best in this match."

Gamba Osaka finished in the top 4 of the J-League last season and are currently ranked 9th in Japan's No. 1 league this season. Despite playing with a majority of domestic players, Osaka is still considered to be higher in class than Nam Dinh.

The goal of winning points when playing away in the first leg is suitable for Nam Dinh before coach Vu Hong Viet and his team aim for 3 points when hosting the Japanese team at home in the second leg.

NGOC LE

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/clb-nam-dinh-dau-gamba-osaka-dam-lao-thi-phai-theo-lao-20251022064308825.htm