That was the statement of Hanoi Police Club head coach Flavio Cruz before the away match against the top team of Dong A Thanh Hoa in the 11th round of Night Wolf V.League 1 - 2023 (at 6:00 p.m. on June 5).

Head coach of Hanoi Police Club Flavio Cruz has great respect for the top team of Dong A Thanh Hoa.

On the afternoon of June 4, Vietnam Professional Football Joint Stock Company (VPF) held a press conference before the highlight match of the 11th round of the Night Wolf V.League 1 - 2023 National Championship between the home team Dong A Thanh Hoa and Hanoi Police. This is considered a "big battle" for the top spot in the first phase of this year's season.

Head coach Flavio Cruz and captain To Van Vu of Hanoi Police Club attended the press conference.

Attending the press conference were head coach Flavio Cruz and captain To Van Vu of the Hanoi Police Club. On the side of the host club Dong A Thanh Hoa, there were head coach Velizar Popov and captain Nguyen Minh Tung, along with reporters from press agencies.

Before the 11th round, Dong A Thanh Hoa Club was leading the rankings with 6 wins, 4 draws, and 22 points after 10 matches. Coach Velizar Popov and his students are on a 10-match unbeaten streak this season. Meanwhile, Hanoi Police Club is ranked 2nd with 18 points (5 wins, 3 draws, 2 losses).

Hanoi Police Club is ranked second in the table with 18 points.

Speaking before the match with host Dong A Thanh Hoa, coach Flavio Cruz of Hanoi Police said: This is a big, important match of the season for Hanoi Police. We have researched a lot about Dong A Thanh Hoa, both their weaknesses and strengths. They are a strong team, capable of high pressing, good control and play, and have many quality players, especially 3 foreign players. I have not seen Thanh Hoa's weaknesses and hope to find them tomorrow. For now, our goal is to have the best match, striving to win. Hanoi Police always aims to win 3 points in every match. However, a draw is not a bad result at this time.

Captain of Hanoi Police Club To Van Vu speaks at the press conference

Meanwhile, the captain of the Hanoi Police Club, To Van Vu (a native of Quang Thai commune, Quang Xuong district) affirmed: Meeting the hometown team is indeed emotional. I have played in the V-League for nearly 10 years, as a professional player, I am determined to win with the Hanoi Police Club. I have scored many goals against Thanh Hoa and I am determined to do this tomorrow if I get to play. This season, Thanh Hoa is a strong team, they have a good coach, quality foreign players. After 10 rounds, they are still undefeated, leading the rankings, everyone can see that this is a strong team, controlling the ball, applying constant pressure and attacking effectively. I am very impressed with the striker pair Bruno Cunha and Paulo Conrado.

Head coach Velizar Popov and captain Nguyen Minh Tung of Dong A Thanh Hoa at the press conference

Speaking before welcoming the opponent Cong An Ha Noi, the head coach of Dong A Thanh Hoa Club Velizar Popov was quite calm: Although the opponent is the second team in the table and has many ambitions, this is just a normal match like the previous matches. Dong A Thanh Hoa wants to get 3 points in this match, that is the most specific goal. Therefore, I do not want to put any pressure on the players. The whole team must try their best in each match with the goal of achieving the best results.

Coach Popov: The match against Hanoi Police is a normal match like previous matches.

Up to this point, we have basically achieved the top 8 goal after 10 rounds. This is something that few people thought of before the season took place. Hopefully, this is the time for us to gain the trust and support of our fans and home supporters. Hanoi Police Club is a team with strong potential, with many stars, especially national players. However, my colleagues and I have also researched this opponent quite carefully, as well as regularly followed their previous matches to find out their strengths and weaknesses. They have certain weaknesses and I want to take advantage of this. Most importantly, the entire Dong A Thanh Hoa team is focused both professionally and mentally for tomorrow's match.

Captain of Dong A Thanh Hoa Club Nguyen Minh Tung spoke, expressing his determination to win with his teammates against Hanoi Police.

Captain of Dong A Thanh Hoa Club Nguyen Minh Tung affirmed: We try to solve each match, To Van Vu set the goal of scoring goals, we will try to prove the opposite. Thanh Hoa set the goal of winning tomorrow. We are a strong team and that is the strength for Dong A Thanh Hoa to strive to win the match against Cong An Ha Noi and any match in this year's season.

Malaysian referee Tuan Mohd Yasin will officiate the match between Dong A Thanh Hoa and Hanoi Police.

It is known that the referee for the match between Dong A Thanh Hoa and Cong An Ha Noi at 6:00 p.m. on June 5 is Malaysian referee Tuan Mohd Yasin. Two assistants assisting Tuan Mohd Yasin are Nguyen Trung Viet and Nguyen Trung Hau. The fourth referee is Duong Huu Phuc. Previously, VPF assigned a Thai referee to officiate the match between Dong A Thanh Hoa and Cong An Ha Noi but there has been a change.

Tuan Mohd Yasin is a foreign referee who has been quite familiar with the V.League in recent years. This referee in black shirt has refereed the match between Dong A Thanh Hoa and Ho Chi Minh City at the Night Wolf V.League 1 - 2022. Regarding the refereeing work, Dong A Thanh Hoa coach Velizar Popov hopes that the referee team will have fair and accurate whistles.

Manh Cuong