HCM CITY (VNS)— Becamex Binh Duong, which is enjoying a renaissance of late, will face a test when it plays Hoang Anh Gia Lai in the Eximbank V-League 2014's seventh-round match today at Pleiku city.

Binh Duong won two recent matches to move from a disappointing second-bottom place to sixth position on the table with seven points. This came as Nguyen Thanh Son replaced Nguyen Minh Dung

Binh Duong's victories over Dong Nai and Hung Vuong An Giang, with the same score 4-1, should not be considered a measure of the strength of Son's team as its opponents are not strong enough to expose the former two-time champions' weaknesses.

Gia Lai, however, is not in a better spot although it is obviously a worthy opponent.

It would be jumping to conclusions to say that Gia Lai is not a tough opponent after its loss to in-form Quang Ninh, given that South Korean coach Choi Kyum-yun's team will be playing at home with the most prolific striker Timothy Anjembe in the front line.

Elsewhere, Hai Phong face a huge task of ending a run of bad form, losing two recent matches and falling towards the bottom. Their opponent today is the returning SHB Da Nang, which received a timely boost with a 2-1 victory over Nghe An five days ago.

The remaining game today see Nghe An standing a good chance of stopping its losing streak when they play bottom-ranked An Giang, which has only picked up one point out of five matches.

As for tomorrow, despite the absence of playmaker Natia Ceh, who has received three yellow cards, Thanh Hoa are still likely to maintain its perfect start to the season and extend its winning run to six when they play Dong Tam Long An, which have yet to win a single game, drawing only three out of six.

And Dong Nai will take on Quang Ninh in a match that is six of one and half a dozen of the other.

While Dong Nai's coach Tran Binh Su can draw encouragement from last week's away win at Hai Phong, newcomers Quang Ninh have not tasted defeat in the past five rounds and currently sit at second with 11 points. — VNS