Comments on the match Thanh Hoa vs The Cong, 6:00 p.m. November 2: Coach Popov's emotional return day

VHO - Commentary on the match Thanh Hoa vs The Cong, round 9 V.League, since leaving Thanh Hoa at the end of last season, this is the first time coach Velizar Popov and his new team have returned to the land of many memories.

Thanh Hoa vs The Cong performance

The Cong marched to Pleiku Arena with great enthusiasm with the goal of winning, thereby continuing to create a "three-legged" race with Ninh Binh and CAHN.

But no one expected that against the home team HAGL, who are at the bottom of the table and have shown weakness since the beginning of the tournament, the team under coach Velizar Popov would lose 1-2.

The first loss of the season this year caused The Cong to fall behind, 5 and 2 points behind the two opponents above them respectively.

More importantly, one can once again question the character of the capital's representative every time he is away from home.

Because after 4 past tours, The Cong has not once enjoyed the joy of victory. To hope to compete for the championship, the army team must of course improve that important factor.

The trip to Thanh Hoa in the latest match of round 9 will bring another opportunity for Tien Anh, Van Khang, Lucao, Pedro... to solve the away field problem.

V.League 2025/26 has passed 1/3 of the way, so there is not much time left for coach Popov and his team to correct their mistakes.

But the task of earning all 3 points promises to be no easy one. For coach Popov, the Bulgarian strategist will have an emotional return to the place where he was once attached and created success.

Meanwhile, for the entire away team, they certainly will not be able to forget the 1-3 defeat at the end of last season.

During the period when Thanh Hoa fell into a serious crisis since the beginning of 2025, The Cong suddenly became the only "prey" that the North Central region representative was able to hunt.

It wasn't until the most recent round of V.League 2025/26 that the Thanh team had another victory, 1-0 on SLNA's field.

Thanh Hoa surprisingly defeated The Cong at the end of last season (Photo: VPF)

A long period of disappointment caused Thanh Hoa, from a championship candidate last season, to only finish 8th.

Entering this season, the situation has not changed much, despite urgent plans to change the general that have been made for more than half a year.

After a difficult start, current coach Choi Won-kwon has gradually helped Thanh Hoa stabilize.

In all 3 appearances since the beginning of October, Thanh Hoa has never tasted defeat, earning 1 win and 2 draws.

Also thanks to the 2-1 victory at Vinh Stadium of neighbor SLNA a week ago, Thanh Hoa has risen to 11th place, temporarily escaping the red light group.

But the gap to the danger zone is only 1 point, so the task of finding a place to stay in the league for Van Thuan and his teammates is still difficult.

Thanh Hoa vs The Cong force information

Thanh Hoa: Captain Doan Ngoc Tan is still recovering from an injury. Another key midfielder of the home team, Thai Son, is also absent due to suspension.

The Cong: In his first return to Thanh Hoa, coach Popov has the strongest force in hand.

Expected lineup Thanh Hoa vs The Cong

Thanh Hoa: Xuan Hoang, Minh Doan, Van Loi, Dinh Huyen, Thai Binh , Van Thuan, Abdurakhmanov, Provincial Chief, Nguyen Hoang, Damoth, Rimario

The Cong: Van Viet, Kyle Colonna, Viet Tu, Tien Anh, Tien Dung, Tuan Tai, Van Khang, Nhat Nam, Wesley, Lucao, Pedro

Prediction: 1-2

Source: https://baovanhoa.vn/the-thao/nhan-dinh-tran-dau-thanh-hoa-vs-the-cong-18h00-ngay-211-ngay-tro-ve-nhieu-cam-cuc-cua-hlv-popov-178603.html