VietNamNet Bridge - Ha Noi T&T's head coach Phan Thanh Hung says the title race has not yet finished, even though Song Lam Nghe An (SLNA) are seizing the upper hand as the V-League has only three rounds to go.

"We still have a chance to defend the title, so the important thing is that we have to play each match well to get full points before thinking of the title decider with SLNA in the final round," he said.

Second-place Ha Noi T&T, six points behind SLNA with one game in hand, today has a tough match against home team Navibank Sai Gon, which are determined to seek three points to maintain their goal of entering the top five by the end of the season.

The game is likely to end up in a draw because the home team have a good record at home, losing only two games so far this season, while the visiting team has high-quality players like strikers Le Cong Vinh, Gonzalo and midfielder Nguyen Van Quyet.

Hung, however, believes in a good result against Navibank Sai Gon because Ha Noi T&T has the best players for the match.

The leader SLNA, however, are in a commanding position to win their first title after 10 years, thanks to the win early this week. Their closest rival Ha Noi T&T has earned only one point.

SLNA are very likely to get their hands on the V-League trophy today because they are favourites over home team Ninh Binh.

Relegation battles

It remains to be seen who will survive the race to avoid being demoted to the First Division as there are five teams still in contention for relegation.

Bottom-ranked team Khanh Hoa will take on Dong Thap at home, which will be a good opportunity for the home team to get much-needed three points.

The most notable game this weekend is the encounter between two relegation contenders, Dong Tam Long An, ranked second from the bottom, and Ha Noi ACB. It will be make or break for both two teams; they are separated by one point and one spot on the table.

Hoa Phat Ha Noi, still in contention for relegation, is expected to pull out all the stops to beat third-place SHB Da Nang tomorrow, who are six points behind SLNA.

Binh Duong, which eyes for a place in the top three, are certainly favourites to take full points against Hai Phong, which climbed to 11th place after a controversial win over Hoa Phat Ha Noi on Tuesday.

The game between Hoang Anh Gia Lai and Lam Son Thanh Hoa does not have much signficance because both of them are safe from the danger zone but far from the medal zone

Source: VNS