Before Round 7 of the First Division: Will Công Phượng's team reclaim the top spot?

Round 7 of the National First Division will keep the excitement alive from November 7th to 9th with several thrilling fixtures.

The earliest match of Round 7 is the “rookie derby” between Văn Hiến University and PVFCAND Youth at Thống Nhất Stadium on November 7th. In the previous round, coach Nguyễn Đình Hưng’s team caused a major upset by winning 2-0 away against Bắc Ninh, a promotion contender. This victory naturally boosts VHU’s confidence ahead of this match and their relegation battle. On the other side, TPVFCA shares a similar survival goal and has a decent form (2 wins, 2 draws, 2 losses), currently just above VHU. It’s a truly balanced contest with a slight advantage to VHU playing at home.

The other “rookie derby” this round takes place at Việt Yên Stadium, where Bắc Ninh hosts Xuân Thiện Phú Thọ. Both teams lost at home in the previous round, but while XTPT’s 1-2 loss to the stronger Khatoco Khánh Hòa was expected, BNFC’s 0-2 defeat to VHU was quite a surprise. Despite having a strong squad (many players with V.League experience, some even national team members) and home advantage creating multiple scoring chances, the Kinh Bắc representatives failed to score. Meanwhile, defensive lapses cost them dearly, dropping them to 6th place and 6 points behind league leaders KKH.

Theoretically, the match between Ho Chi Minh City, currently 3rd in the standings, and newcomer Quảng Ninh (10 points, 5th place) at Thống Nhất Stadium is more evenly matched. In Round 6, the team led by coach Nguyễn Minh Phương ended their unbeaten streak with a 1-3 loss at Quy Nhơn against QNU. Meanwhile, a 1-1 draw with Long An at Cẩm Phả also left coach Văn Đàn’s side unsatisfied. Given the fairly equal strength, Quảng Ninh will likely aim for a point away, while hosts Ho Chi Minh City will target a win to maintain their top 3 position.

Trường Tươi Đồng Nai will return to their home ground in Bình Phước aiming solely for 3 points against Quy Nhơn United. Although the visitors recently dropped from the V-League, they are now just a shadow of their former selves following a serious loss of key players. Therefore, when weighed up, TTĐN is still considered the stronger side.

At Long An Stadium, the home team’s only goal is to secure a victory over last-placed Thanh niên TPHCM. Despite losing their last two home matches against stronger opponents (TTĐN and TPHCM), facing a similarly matched team like TNHCM presents an opportunity to widen the gap in the relegation race.

Finally, the match between Khatoco Khánh Hòa and Đồng Tháp features teams with contrasting forms, and Round 6’s results provide enough data to favor the coastal team. Not only have coach Trần Trọng Bình’s side won four consecutive matches, but they have also won all three home games so far, while DFC just earned their first point after three away trips.