SHB Da Nang begin the lunar New Year with a home fixture against Fico Cement Tay Ninh in the qualifying round of the National Football Cup on February 4th at the newly built 20,000-seat Hoa Xuan Stadium.

The team will then fly to Hanoi to play their fifth match in the National Premier Football Championship, V.League 1, against Hanoi T&T at Hang Day Stadium.

In other National Cup matches on February 4th, Binh Phuoc face Dong Thap, while Son Lam Nghe An host Dak Lak.

Viettel will play against Thua Thien-Hue, while Hai Phong take on Nam Dinh on February 5th.

Da Nang has high hopes for the cup and league, with their line-up strengthened by new recruits Britez Ezequiel David from Argentina and Brazilian Teofilo Soares Eydison.

The team also secured Vietnamese citizenship for Argentina-born striker Gaston Merlo, and the striker will now play under the Vietnamese name Đỗ Merlo.

Merlo was the top scorer in the V.League 1 last season with 24 goals, the fourth time he finished as the league’s top marksman.

Director of SHB Da Nang Sport Stock Company, Bui Xuan Hoa said Merlo wishes to stay in Da Nang as his family is used to the city after having lived there for years.

The Argentinean striker has scored 92 goals between 2008 and 2016 for SHB Da nang.

The central city-based team finished third in 2016 and last won the title in 2012.

Da Nang are currently fourth in the V.League 1 after four matches with seven points.

According to SHB Đà Nẵng, the new stadium, which covers an area of 10.2ha, will host all international sports in the city.

Last year, Barcelona football school in Asia and Oceania (FCBEscola) paid a working visit to the team for future co-operation in training young footballers.

VNS