Ho Chi Minh City Police vs. Hoang Anh Gia Lai: Regaining the Joy of Victory at Thong Nhat Stadium

Hoang Anh Gia Lai started the season very slowly, quite different from last year. In the opening match, the Mountain Town team lost 0-3 to Becamex Ho Chi Minh City at home. In round 2, HAGL surprised by holding Hanoi FC to a 0-0 draw at Hang Day Stadium.

Meanwhile, Ho Chi Minh City Police had two contrasting results in the first two rounds. In the opening round, they secured an impressive 2-1 victory over the contender Hanoi FC. However, in round 2, coach Le Huynh Duc’s team suffered a 0-3 defeat to The Cong Viettel.

The loss in round 2 dropped Ho Chi Minh City Police out of the top 3 in the V-League 2025 - 2026 standings to 10th place. Meanwhile, with only 1 point from 2 matches, HAGL fell to the lower end of the table.

In this third round, HAGL is predicted to have a challenging away trip. But if they perform as well as they did against Hanoi FC, the Mountain Town team could still cause an upset against Ho Chi Minh City Police. In the away match at Hang Day, goalkeeper Trung Kien and HAGL’s defense played excellently, preventing Hanoi FC’s expensive attack from scoring. With 1 point gained away in the previous round, HAGL is more confident coming to Thong Nhat.

In this match, Ho Chi Minh City Police is considered slightly stronger in terms of squad. The home team has striker Tien Linh, who scored 13 goals last season. Additionally, coach Le Huynh Duc has finalized four foreign players for the early phase of the season at Thong Nhat Stadium.

Notably, Ho Chi Minh City Police will have Australian midfielder Peter Makrillos. The 30-year-old midfielder previously played for Stoke City U18 (England) before joining various clubs in South Korea, Greece, Denmark, and Australia. In the last season, Makrillos was part of Macarthur FC in Australia’s national league. Standing 1.86m tall, he can play multiple midfield roles, from defensive, central to attacking midfielder. Coach Le Huynh Duc hopes Makrillos’ presence will add more options for controlling the game.

At Thong Nhat Stadium, coach Le Huynh Duc’s players made an impressive debut. With home advantage this round, Ho Chi Minh City Police is eager to regain the joy of winning. To achieve this, coach Le Huynh Duc must devise a suitable strategy to break through HAGL’s defense. Especially, they need a plan to counter the sharp reflexes and outstanding saves of young goalkeeper Tran Trung Kien. Statistics from round 2 show Trung Kien successfully blocked 9 shots on target from Hanoi FC, greatly helping HAGL secure their first points this V-League season.

This season is predicted to be very challenging for the Mountain Town team after many key players left. At this stage, HAGL still needs time to build a consistent, methodical style and maintain necessary stability. Before the 2025 - 2026 season, HAGL was considered a "point bank" for other teams. But coach Le Quang Trai’s squad proved otherwise by showing a resilient spirit with a goalless draw against Hanoi FC in round 2.

In fact, HAGL’s draw against Hanoi FC was largely thanks to goalkeeper Trung Kien’s brilliance. The "guardian" had an outstanding performance, blocking many shots for HAGL. To earn points at Thong Nhat this time, coach Le Quang Trai’s team must work very hard.

The head-to-head record between the two teams is quite balanced, with each side winning 2 matches and one match ending in a draw in their last 5 encounters.

The match between Ho Chi Minh City Police and HAGL will take place at 19:15 on August 28th at Thong Nhat Stadium.

Expected starting lineups for both teams
Ho Chi Minh City Police: Le Giang, Matheus Felipe, Quang Hung, Gia Bao, Huy Toan, Quoc Cuong, Endrick, Hoang Phuc, Duc Phu, Raphael, Tien Linh
HAGL: Trung Kien, Du Hoc, Jairo, Quang Kiet, Phuoc Bao, Marciel, Thanh Nhan, Hoang Minh, Vinh Nguyen, Ryan Ha, Conceicao