Hoàng Đức and Văn Lâm still hold onto hope for the V-League runner-up spot.

The 2025/26 V-League has only one round left before it ends, yet the battle for the runner-up spot is far from settled. Although Ninh Bình, with Hoàng Đức and Đặng Văn Lâm, holds third place with 48 points, they still have a real opportunity to make a spectacular breakthrough and surpass Thể Công Viettel in the season's last match.

Looking at the current standings, the gap between the two teams is three points.Thể Công Viettelhas 51 points, while Ninh Bìnhhas 48 points.

Theoretically, the advantage still lies with the team coached by Velizar Popov. If they earn just one more point in the final round, Thể Công Viettel will be guaranteed to keep the runner-up position.

However, football always holds surprises, andNinh Bìnhunderstands that the door is not yet closed.

The first reason for Ninh Bình's confidence is their consistent form in the decisive phase. A 2-0 victory on the road against Thanh Hóa in round 25 further demonstrated the resilience of a squad built by new head coach Chu Đình Nghiêm.

Even when key players like Hoàng Đức or Châu Ngọc Quang were rested, Ninh Bình still had enough strength to control the game and secure all three points.

More importantly, this team currently boasts a better goal difference than Thể Công Viettel. Ninh Bình drew both matches against the current second-placed side and now has a +19 goal difference, while Thể Công Viettel stands at +17. That means if the two teams are level on points after the final round, Hoàng Đức and Văn Lâm's team has every chance to move ahead.

That is why the match against Hồng Lĩnh Hà Tĩnh at home on June 7 is of utmost importance. With home advantage, strong form, and high determination, Ninh Bình is considered to have a good chance of winning.

However, a win alone is not enough. WhatNinh Bìnhneeds most right now is a slip-up from Thể Công Viettel. This is the factor that makes the race so exciting.

In the final round, Coach Popov's squad will face CLB Công an Hà Nội. Theoretically, the champions no longer have much to play for. But what happened in round 25 shows that Coach Mano Polking's team shows no signs of letting up.

On the very day they lifted the championship trophy, CLB Công an Hà Nội still fielded their strongest lineup to defeat Becamex TP.HCM 2-1. This indicates that Coach Polking wants his team to finish the season with the image of a true champion.

If they maintain that attitude against Thể Công Viettel, the home team in the upcoming match will surely face many difficulties. The draw with Công an TP.HCM after leading until near the end prevented Thể Công Viettel from securing an early finish, and the team's mentality seems to have been affected by refereeing decisions in recent rounds.

Thể Công Viettel also faces a disadvantage as they must use Thiên Trường Stadium as their home ground because Hàng Đẫy Stadium is reserved for the Hà Nội FC match againstCông an TP.HCM.

Not playing at their usual home venue will somewhat affect the mentality and preparation of Coach Velizar Popov's squad for the most important match of the season.

Meanwhile, Ninh Bình is in a very relaxed state of mind. From being a newcomer, they have surpassed Hà Nội FC to claim third place and now stand before a historic opportunity to finish the season as the runner-up.