Cong An Hanoi FC v Macarthur Bulls: ACL Two Preview, Analysis

Macarthur Bulls are back in AFC Champions League Two action on Thursday night when they face Vietnamese side Cong An Hanoi FC (CAHN) in the nation’s capital, Hanoi.

Having suffered a shock defeat to Hong Kong side Tai Po in their opening ACL Two match back in mid-September, Mile Sterjovski’s Bulls side then got off the mark against Chinese Super League (CSL) side Beijing Guoan earlier this month.

Goals from Chris Ikonomidis, Tomislav Uskok and Sime Grzan sealed an impressive 3-0 win for the Bulls at Campbelltown Sports Stadium, with the result pushing them up into third in Group E.

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Standing in their way on Thursday night will be current group leaders CAHN, who lead the way having secured a win and a draw from their opening two matches against Beijing Guoan and Tai Po respectively.

A familiar face to Isuzu UTE A-League fans, Macarthur’s midfield will likely encounter Adelaide United midfielder Stefan Mauk on Thursday night, with the 30-year-old currently on a season-long loan in the Vietnamese top flight.

Stefan Mauk is on loan at CAHN from Adelaide United this season.

Team news and form

Macarthur head coach Sterjovski is likely to shuffle the pack for the trip to Southeast Asia following the Bulls’ opening round clash with Brisbane Roar on Friday night in the Isuzu UTE A-League.

In what was a physical affair at Suncorp Stadium, the Bulls succumbed to a Jay O’Shea penalty as they left Queensland empty-handed and, as a result, sit last on the ladder.

One player who won’t be featuring for the side in Hanoi is towering striker Harrison Sawyer, with the 28-year-old left back in Sydney for this one, with one eye on Monday night’s Isuzu UTE A-League clash with Adelaide United in Campbelltown.

However, the Bulls certainly don’t lack firepower in the final third, and it’s expected both Mexican striker Rafael Duran and South Korean forward Ji Dong-won will play a part in the clash at Hang Day Stadium.

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Furthermore, CommBank Socceroos duo Luke Brattan and Anthony Caceres are set to start the clash while Croatian winger Grzan is also expected to play.

When it comes to form, the Bulls are coming up against a side very much enjoying a rich vein of results.

Currently sat third in the V.League 1, CAHN have won four and drawn two of their opening six matches this season, three points behind the league leaders, albeit with a game in hand.

Furthermore, the club’s unbeaten streak currently sits at nine games in total when factoring in fixtures in both the ACL Two and Vietnamese Super Cup.

One player the Bulls will have to keep a close eye on is Brazilian forward Alan who, with six goals from six games, currently tops the goalscoring charts in the V. League 1.

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Format, prize money & fixtures

Unlike the ACL Champions League Elite competition which operates in a league format, the ACL Two remains as it was last year: Eight groups consisting of four teams in each, with all sides playing against one another at home and away.

The top two sides from each group will then progress through to the knockout stages of the competition where the draw remains split between ‘East and West’ before the two best sides from each side of the draw will meet in the final.

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