Round 5 of V-League: The Steel Blue Nam Dinh faces Hanoi Police

After a series of fiery city derbies, the main focus in Round 5 will be the current "super classic" of Vietnamese football: the reigning champion The Steel Blue Nam Dinh will host Hanoi Police at Thien Truong Stadium.

Nam Dinh and Hanoi Police are regarded as the two top representatives of Vietnamese football today. Both have shared domestic titles from the V-League, National Cup to the Super Cup... and are also the hopes of Vietnamese football in international competitions such as the AFC Champions League Two and Shopee Cup.

The squads of both teams are highly rated as they each have some of the most valuable foreign players in the V-League, such as Percy Tau (Nam Dinh) and Alan Grafite (Hanoi Police)...

The reigning V-League champion is still struggling this season, having earned only 7 points from 5 matches. Facing a tough opponent like the Police team is a big challenge for coach Vu Hong Viet and his players.

The Nam Dinh team recently suffered a defeat against the same opponent in the 2025 National Super Cup match early this season at their home ground, Thien Truong. Therefore, this is definitely an opportunity for them to seek revenge.

Meanwhile, Hanoi Police’s performance in the V-League has been excellent, remaining unbeaten after 4 matches (10 points) and currently sitting second in the standings.

The home ground advantage at Thien Truong could be beneficial for Nam Dinh in this match. So far, both of Nam Dinh’s wins have come at their "holy ground" (against Haiphong and PVF-CAND respectively).

However, the Nam Dinh team is currently in poor form after 2 matches with just a draw and a loss. If foreign players like Brenner, Romulo, or Kyle Hudlin fail to shine at the right moment, Nam Dinh could face defeat against Hanoi Police even at their “holy ground” Thien Truong.

Regarding form and mentality now, Hanoi Police are considered superior to Nam Dinh. Besides performing well in the V-League, coach Alexander Polking’s team has also impressed on the continental stage. They drew with Beijing Guoan (China) in the AFC Champions League Two and won against Cebu (Philippines) in the ASEAN Club Championship.

Meanwhile, the strain of competing on multiple fronts has worn down the Nam Dinh squad’s stamina, presenting them with a significant challenge.

The match between Nam Dinh and Hanoi Police will kick off at 6 PM on September 28.

Expected starting lineups for both teams

Nam Dinh: Nguyen Manh, Van Toi, Van Vi, Thanh Hao, Pham Ba, Hoang Anh, A Mit, Caio, Romulo, Van Dat, Brenner

Hanoi Police: Nguyen Filip, Dinh Trong, Ly Duc, Mauk, Le Van Do, Pendant Quang Vinh, Thanh Long, Alan, Nguyen Van Duc, Leo Artur, Dinh Bac