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HAGL plays well when facing strong opponents.

Unlike before, HAGL is now a pragmatic team that prioritizes efficiency and the final result. The guiding principle of the team from Pleiku is to prioritize defensive solidity in their own half before thinking about scoring against their opponents. Therefore, Coach Le Quang Trai's team often plays better when facing teams considered "superior." In such situations, the players of the Pleiku-based team can showcase their preferred style of play: counter-attacking defense. Opponents pushing forward in attack also means exposing weaknesses in their defense, and HAGL will try to exploit this.

In the first leg, HAGL managed to earn points against top teams, drawing with Nam Dinh FC (0-0) and Thanh Hoa FC (1-1), before surprisingly defeating Hanoi Police FC and Hanoi FC both with a 1-0 scoreline. Conversely, when facing equally matched or weaker opponents, HAGL finding themselves in a stalemate is not uncommon this season.

Washington Brandao (11) has "fired" in HAGL jersey. The Brazilian striker will be a very dangerous "drill" in the counter-attacking style of the mountain town team.

In this match, the capital city team is undoubtedly considered the favorite and is predicted to take the initiative against HAGL. This is probably what HAGL wants, and they will wait for the right moment when Hanoi FC shows signs of impatience. Furthermore, HAGL's best striker, Chau Ngoc Quang, has returned after serving his suspension, while Brazilian foreign player Washington has scored his first V-League goal. All the important pieces are ready, promising to make the mountain town team's tactics more unpredictable. It's worth noting that since the beginning of the 2024-2025 V-League season, Coach Le Quang Trai's team has not lost a single match in their six home games.

The opening matchday of Round 14 of the V-League 2024-2025 (February 21st) will feature only one game: HAGL vs. Hanoi FC. If HAGL secures all three points at home in this match, the team from Pleiku (currently with 17 points) will climb into the top 5 of the standings with 20 points.

Hanoi FC wants to "settle old scores".

The match against HAGL in round 14 on the afternoon of February 20th also marked the debut of Hanoi FC's new head coach, Makoto Teguramori. He is a highly experienced coach who has proven his professional capabilities in leading Asian football nations like Japan, having previously led the Japanese U23 team. Coach Makoto Teguramori is expected to help Hanoi FC perform even better in the coming period, continuing their pursuit of the V-League championship this season.

Japanese coach Makoto Teguramori (center) is expected to lead Hanoi FC back into the title race.

The new Japanese coach naturally wants to make an impressive debut with a victory against HAGL. Furthermore, the Hanoi FC players are eager to secure three points at Pleiku Stadium to avenge their defeat in the first leg, when HAGL beat the capital city team at Hang Day Stadium. Therefore, the Hanoi FC players will enter the match with high determination.

Pham Tuan Hai has been suspended.

Pham Tuan Hai will miss Hanoi FC's away match against HAGL at Pleiku Stadium. The Vietnamese national team striker has accumulated three yellow cards previously, resulting in a suspension for the match in round 14. This is a significant loss of personnel for the capital city team.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/hagl-duoc-da-dung-so-truong-co-hoi-but-pha-vao-top-5-la-day-185250220192957204.htm