Viettel vs Pathum United

Thammasat Stadium is the venue as Pathum United look to wrap up a top-two finish in the AFC Champions League Group F against out-of-form Viettel.

The hosts have alternated between winning (1) and losing (2) across their opening three group stage matches and need all three points here to remain in contention for a top-two finish in Group F. As ever, starting well will be a priority, especially knowing each of Viettel’s three group stage games saw the victor keep a clean sheet. Going back to a goalless draw with Hanoi in the domestic championship back in October 2020, none of Viettel’s subsequent eight home matches in all competitions have ended level (W4, L4), with half of those results (win/loss) yielding the identical 1-0 scoreline. Indeed, low scoring has been a theme in their recent home fixtures, with six of their last ten competitive games on their own territory featuring under 1.5 total goals.

Meanwhile, the visitors have won two of their opening three Group F games, losing the other one, with each of them yielding a winning/losing margin of 2+ goals. Another noteworthy takeaway from Pathum’s first three group stage matches is that each saw the victor win the first half ‘to nil,’ with the opening two featuring the same 2-0 HT scoreline. Worryingly, though, the ‘Rabbits’ have failed to win any of their last three away fixtures across all competitions (D1, L2) after racking up 12 consecutive triumphs on the road prior. Moreover, they have drawn a blank in back-to-back road trips after finding the net in 13 straight travels beforehand. Entertainment has been relatively sparse in United’s recent away matches, with seven of their last eight such contests producing under 2.5 total goals.