The First Division championship race is about to end?

After 17 rounds, Ninh Binh is leading with 43 points, 6 points more than Binh Phuoc and 10 points more than PVF-CAND. In this round, the team of the ancient capital Hoa Lu has a very important match, which can even decide the final result of this year's season, when they welcome PVF-CAND.

The match is the highlight of round 18, and is considered the "early final" of the season. If they defeat their opponents, Ninh Binh will be very close to winning the championship. In the opposite case, PVF-CAND will have more hope in the race for promotion.

Ninh Binh PVF.jpg — Can PVF-CAND stop Ninh Binh's progress?

In round 16, Ninh Binh surprisingly let Hoa Binh hold them to a 1-1 draw. The draw caused Hoang Duc and his teammates to lose their winning streak from the beginning of the season. Although they could not extend their record, the home team Ninh Binh still holds a huge advantage in the championship race.

Before welcoming PVF-CAND, Ninh Binh had the advantage of resting in round 17. Along with playing at home and having a strong squad, coach Nguyen Viet Thang's team confidently aimed for 3 points.

On the other side of the front line, PVF-CAND, despite having a large gap with Ninh Binh in the championship race, still played to the end to get the second place in the overall rankings, winning a ticket to the play-off match. This is a difficult task for coach Thach Bao Khanh and his team because first they have to get points in the away match at Ninh Binh and then overcome Binh Phuoc, who is in second place.

While Ninh Binh and PVF-CAND are fighting, Binh Phuoc will host the bottom team Hue at home. In the previous round, the 1-1 draw when playing away at Dong Nai caused Cong Phuong and his teammates to miss the opportunity to shorten the gap with Ninh Binh. This round, the mandatory task for the Southeast team is to win, and they will most likely complete it when facing a weak opponent.