Hoàng Anh Gia Lai - Thể Công Viettel: Awaiting the Mountain Town Team's Escape

Round 8 promises to be a crucial turning point for teams on the relegation edge like Hoàng Anh Gia Lai and Thanh Hóa.

Hoàng Anh Gia Lai is currently going through one of the worst phases in the club’s history. After 7 matches, the Pleiku home team has yet to taste victory (3 draws, 3 losses). Their biggest weakness lies in scoring goals. In 7 games, they have managed only 1 goal, the lowest in the league. They sit at the bottom of the standings and face relegation risk if their form does not improve soon.

This season, HAGL introduced a new generation of young players, while losing key veterans and having foreign players of relatively low quality. It is not surprising that the Mountain Town club continues to rely on youth developed within their own academy to compete in the V-League.

The Mountain Town team seems to have lost the identity that made them famous in previous seasons, as they no longer have star players. The crisis at HAGL is expected to persist throughout this V-League season.

In this 8th round, coach Lê Quang Trãi’s team will welcome the highly consistent Thể Công Viettel at Pleiku Stadium. After 7 matches, the military team remains unbeaten with 4 wins and 3 draws.

Notably, since the start of the season, Thể Công Viettel has faced almost all of the strongest teams in the V-League such as Công an Hà Nội, Ninh Bình, Hà Nội FC… scoring 12 goals and conceding only 4, boasting the best defensive record in the league.

The last time Lê Quang Trãi’s squad defeated Thể Công Viettel was in May 2025 with a 2-1 home victory. The head-to-head record is also positive as they have won 5, lost 4, and drawn once against the Red Storm.

It is clear that HAGL’s sole advantage is playing at home. Coach Quang Trãi will likely opt for a defensive counter-attacking strategy, waiting for the opponent to make mistakes to strike back. This approach may help HAGL minimize goals conceded, but keeping a clean sheet against the visitors is difficult. Coach Popov’s side features quality foreign players like Pedro and Lucao — individuals capable of making a difference and currently in excellent form. These two forwards have scored a combined total of 6 goals (3 each).

Given the current squad balance, HAGL is expected to struggle to cause an upset in this rematch. Hosting a very strong Thể Công Viettel, another defeat seems inevitable for the Mountain Town team. Meanwhile, facing a troubled home side is seen as an opportunity for Coach Popov’s team to extend their unbeaten streak.

Thể Công Viettel also urgently needs 3 points this round to keep pace in the title race with Ninh Bình. In the previous round, Coach Popov’s squad won 2-1 against Đà Nẵng, rising to second place in the standings. This impressive performance boosts confidence among Thể Công Viettel fans ahead of their away match in Pleiku.

The match between HAGL and Thể Công Viettel in round 8 of the LPBank V-League 2025 – 2026 will kick off at 5 PM on October 26.

Projected starting lineups for both teams

HAGL: Trung Kiên, Quang Kiệt, Jairo, Văn Triệu, Du Học, Thanh Sơn, Đình Lâm, Thanh Nhân, Vĩnh Nguyên, Fraga, Marciel

Thể Công Viettel: Văn Việt, Viết Tú, Kyle Nino, Tiến Anh, Văn Tú, Tuấn Tài, Văn Khang, Wesley, Nhật Nam, Lucas, Pedro