The relegation battle is heating up.

The relegation battle in the V-League 2025-2026 is becoming incredibly intense ahead of round 24, where HAGL is under the greatest pressure among the four teams at the bottom of the table.

PRESSURE ON HAGL

Before Round 24, HAGL held the top spot with 23 points, ahead of their three rivals Becamex Ho Chi Minh City (21 points), Da Nang FC (20 points), and PVF-CAND (18 points). However, in the matches taking place at 6 PM on May 31st, HAGL will face the greatest pressure despite playing at home at Pleiku Arena. The visiting team, Hanoi FC, will be motivated by their rival and determined to win to compete for the bronze medal against Ninh Binh FC (both with 45 points). This match is sure to be extremely intense, as both teams have a balanced head-to-head record in their last five matches at Pleiku Arena (each with two wins, one draw, and two losses). In terms of form and personnel, Hanoi FC is superior. Therefore, HAGL will have to maximize their home advantage to avoid the risk of being overtaken by their lower-ranked rivals.

HAGL (right) needs to get points in the match against Hanoi FC at Pleiku Arena.

PHOTO: MINH TRAN

Playing at home, PVF-CAND will be under pressure to win against Hai Phong FC, a team lacking motivation and in disarray following major changes in their coaching staff. After their loss to Da Nang FC in the previous round, Chairman Hoan parted ways with coach Chu Dinh Nghiem and three assistants: Bat Hieu, Hoang Le, and Hong Truong. This is triggering a domino effect, with some players refusing contract renewals, or those still under contract seeking early departures. Clearly, this will be a golden opportunity for PVF-CAND to aim for all three points to open up a hope of escaping the bottom of the table, or at least temporarily avoiding relegation. However, PVF-CAND's challenge will be to be more incisive in their finishing and for their defense to be more focused.

D EASY TO DISTURB

Despite not playing at home, Becamex TP.HCM still has a chance to secure three points, even though they have to travel to Hang Day Stadium to face the reigning champions, CAHN FC. In fact, after officially securing enough points to clinch the title, coach Mano Polking allowed several key players such as Quang Hai, Dinh Bac, and Thanh Long to rest after a long season of intense competition across multiple fronts. Although these stars have rejoined training earlier than expected, it's highly likely they won't be able to play a full 90 minutes at high intensity. The suspension of foreign player Vitor Hugo will open up an opportunity for Becamex TP.HCM, who are also without Ho Tan Tai for the same reason. The crucial thing is that in this special situation, the management will need effective support and backing to help new coach Hua Hien Vinh unite the entire team. In fact, among the four teams in danger of relegation, Becamex Ho Chi Minh City possesses the most impressive attack, with players like Viet Cuong, Vi Hao, Minh Khoa, and Ugochukwu all in good form.

Da Nang FC has the opportunity to escape one of the bottom two positions for the first time since November 2025, in their away match against Ha Tinh FC, a team with nothing left to play for, having recently changed coaches and missing captain Trong Hoang and defender Viet Trieu. Unlike their rivals who have experienced changes in their coaching staff, the entire Da Nang team is united in supporting coach Le Duc Tuan, earning 7 points in the last 3 rounds. All hopes will rest on Milan Makaric, the striker who has scored 10 goals, including 6 in the last 6 matches. If they win, Da Nang FC will likely temporarily escape the play-off zone and put all the pressure on any opponent who slips up in this 24th round.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/nong-bong-cuoc-chien-tru-hang-185260530000008452.htm