Ho Chi Minh City Police Team hungry for victory

In Round 9 of the V-League 2025-2026, Ho Chi Minh City Police FC will face Hai Phong FC at Thong Nhat Stadium at 7:15 PM on November 1st (FPT Play).

Not many attack options yet.

Ho Chi Minh City Police FC is undefeated at home since the start of the season, including two wins in four matches played at Thong Nhat Stadium. In the 2025-2026 season, Ho Chi Minh City Police FC is expected to evoke the glorious memories of past police derby matches in Vietnamese football history.

Đội Công an TP HCM khát chiến thắng - Ảnh 1. — Will Tien Linh (right) score to help Ho Chi Minh City Police FC win in round 9? (Photo: DINH VIEN)

However, despite having the advantage of playing with an extra man from early on, Ho Chi Minh City Police Club was still outplayed by the home team Hanoi Police Club (CAHN) and ended up empty-handed in round 8 with a 0-1 loss.

Coach Le Huynh Duc and his team made a strong impression when they donned the jersey that was once a symbol of Ho Chi Minh City football. At one point, the team playing at Thong Nhat Stadium gave fans hope that they would make a strong comeback and return to their top position on the map of Vietnamese professional football. However, after failing to achieve the expected results in the last two rounds, viewers realized that Coach Le Huynh Duc's team does not yet have the strength to be one of the contenders for the domestic league title this season.

At the beginning of the season, Ho Chi Minh City Police FC had beaten Hanoi FC and drawn with reigning champions Nam Dinh at home, but they still couldn't break their winless streak when playing in the capital.

Experts believe that the unstable mentality of coach Le Huynh Duc's players was the reason for their defeats. At Hang Day Stadium, Ho Chi Minh City Police Club suffered a heavy 3-0 defeat against The Cong Viettel and most recently lost to Hanoi Police.

Coach Le Huynh Duc frankly pointed out his players' shortcomings: "The players of Ho Chi Minh City Police Club were impatient and the defenders were inexperienced. If the defense had communicated and understood each other better, the team wouldn't have lost. In addition, we couldn't achieve our goal because we lacked attacking options."

The "unknown quantity" of the V-League

Statistics from the 8 matches played so far this season show that Ho Chi Minh City Police has an average scoring rate, with 9 goals. Nguyen Tien Linh (3 goals) and Nguyen Thai Quoc Cuong (2 goals) are the two top scorers for the team so far.

However, when facing strong teams and being closely marked by opposing defenders, Tien Linh is unable to showcase his goal-scoring skills. This was evident in rounds 7 and 8, where the national team striker missed quite a few good opportunities.

Coach Huynh Duc also stated that the core players of the Ho Chi Minh City Police Club are depleted due to a "wave" of injuries. Specifically, three foreign players – center-back Matheus, midfielders Endrick and Raphael Schorr – and defender Huy Toan are injured, leaving their participation in round 9 uncertain.

The absence of these key players will make it difficult for Ho Chi Minh City Police FC to regain their winning streak when they host Hai Phong at Thong Nhat Stadium.

Hai Phong FC is considered a "dark horse" in this season's V-League. Under the guidance of veteran coach Chu Dinh Nghiem, Hai Phong FC has won 4 matches and drawn 2 in 8 rounds, rising to 4th place in the V-League standings. However, their away performance has not been impressive, with 2 losses and 1 draw in their last 3 away games.

Currently, Ho Chi Minh City Police FC and Hai Phong FC both have 14 points, but Coach Huynh Duc's team is temporarily ranked 5th due to a lower goal difference than Hai Phong.

"On the same day, Becamex Ho Chi Minh City FC will have a tough away match against Ninh Binh FC at 6 PM (FPT Play)."