Coach Polking and Van Hau declare CAHN determined to beat Lion City Sailors in 2026/27 Southeast Asian Club Cup Group B opener

At the pre-match press conference for the 2026/27 Southeast Asian Club Cup Group B fixture, held ahead of kickoff on 8 October 2026, Coach Polking and defender Doan Van Hau of Hanoi Police FC (CAHN) both declared their determination to beat Lion City Sailors away in Singapore. It is the opening match of the reigning V.League 1 champions' regional campaign, and neither the head coach nor the club's senior defender hid the ambition of taking all three points in their very first group game. The message was clear: CAHN do not treat the Southeast Asian Club Cup as a secondary competition. Both the coaching staff and the senior players stressed that the club wants to maintain the position it has built domestically while raising its profile on the international stage. It is a familiar kind of statement before an opening fixture, when a team and its supporters need a psychological anchor ahead of a long away trip. CAHN ENTER THE REGIONAL STAGE AS REIGNING V.LEAGUE CHAMPIONS CAHN arrive in Group B as the reigning V.League 1 champions. That is both an advantage and a burden. The advantage lies in a squad widely regarded as one of the strongest in Vietnamese football, featuring players with national-team caps and experience in high-stakes matches. The burden lies in expectation: once you are the domestic champion, any poor result in regional competition is judged far more harshly than usual. In his remarks, Coach Polking emphasised that CAHN want to maintain the club's position and continue to successfully defend the V.League championship. At the same time, he described the Southeast Asian Club Cup as an opportunity for the club to elevate its image internationally. That framing suggests the coaching staff have clearly identified two parallel fronts for the 2026/27 season rather than prioritising one over the other. The notable issue is rotation. When domestic and regional calendars overlap, maintaining consistency across both competitions is a genuine challenge for any club. A deep and evenly balanced squad is the key, but that is precisely the factor that cannot be verified through a single press conference. COACH POLKING: “AN OPPORTUNITY TO ELEVATE OUR IMAGE” Coach Polking's comments were directional rather than technical. He did not disclose a formation, did not describe an approach to the match and did not mention specific personnel. The entire message revolved around two ideas: maintaining the domestic position and elevating the club's regional image. For analysts, this suggests CAHN are entering the competition with the mindset of a club that intends to compete seriously rather than go through the motions. Historically, several Vietnamese clubs have prioritised the V.League over regional fixtures during congested schedules. Coach Polking publicly setting a high target on the continental stage is being read as a signal of a changed approach. It must be acknowledged, however, that this is a motivational and public-relations statement. It tells us what the club wants, not what the club will do or how it will do it. DOAN VAN HAU: “CAHN REALLY WANT TO WIN TO START THE JOURNEY” Doan Van Hau, a defender born in 2026 who previously played for SC Heerenveen in the Netherlands, was the second figure put forward for official comment at the press conference. He stated that CAHN really want to win in order to start their regional journey on the right foot. The fact that a defender, rather than a striker or an attacking player, fronted the media before an away match is a small but telling detail. It may reflect the image the club wants to project: solid, disciplined and capable of protecting a result when playing away in a regional competition with demanding climate conditions. That said, this remains inference, because the choice of a press-conference spokesperson can also be arbitrary or driven by a club's media schedule. Doan Van Hau is also a name worth watching from a fitness perspective. He has a notable injury history, and at 27 he is in the peak years of a full-back's career. His availability directly affects the quality of CAHN's defence and their set-piece options. LION CITY SAILORS ARE NO LESS CONFIDENT On the Lion City Sailors side, defender Nur Adam Abdullah declared that his club want to win in every tournament they enter. The Singaporean club is backed by significant private capital and operates on a corporate model with a clear commercial and communications orientation. The difference in operating models between the two clubs is worth noting. CAHN is linked to the public security sector, while Lion City Sailors is linked to a private conglomerate. The two approaches differ in resources, in brand building and in the degree of pressure they face from results. On the pitch, Lion City Sailors are regarded as a stable force in Singaporean football and are regular participants in regional competitions. They also enjoy home advantage and familiar climate conditions. THE AWAY TRIP AND THE FITNESS EQUATION The away fixture in Singapore is the hardest variable to quantify in this match. Long-distance travel, a humid tropical climate and a congested V.League schedule create significant physical strain for Vietnamese players. Historically, Vietnamese clubs have struggled when playing away in regional competition, particularly in opening fixtures when squads have not yet reached peak condition. The realistic target for CAHN may therefore be to control the tempo, limit errors and take points, rather than committing fully to attack from the first whistle. The “must win” declarations from the coach and the player should therefore be read as a statement of attitude rather than a prediction of the result. EXPECTATION AND MEDIA PRESSURE Both camps declaring their intention to win sets up a familiar situation: expectations are raised before a match whose outcome remains genuinely uncertain. If CAHN fail to get a good result, domestic opinion may question the gap between the rhetoric and reality. That pressure falls mainly on Coach Polking and the core players. For a club that has just won the V.League, an early exit or a shaky regional start is usually framed as a collective failure rather than merely one defeat. Conversely, if CAHN win away, the media narrative will swing positive, casting the club as a flag-bearer for Vietnamese football in the region. WHAT TO WATCH First, CAHN's starting line-up will reveal how much priority they place on this competition. If Coach Polking fields close to his strongest eleven, that is a clear signal the club genuinely intend to go deep. Second, how CAHN manage the tempo in the opening 20 minutes will reflect their real tactical intent, as opposed to what was said at the press conference. Third, Doan Van Hau's fitness is a variable to monitor. His presence directly affects the team's defensive capability and their wide attacking options. CONCLUSION The Group B meeting between CAHN and Lion City Sailors in the 2026/27 Southeast Asian Club Cup is a clash between the reigning V.League 1 champions and a stable force in Singaporean football, played away on 8 October 2026. The statements from Coach Polking and defender Doan Van Hau show that CAHN enter the competition with clear ambition and a determination to start the journey with three points. The informational value of those statements, however, lies in what they say about the club's attitude rather than its actual capability. No tactical data, no financial figures and no squad information were disclosed. Supporters should therefore approach the fixture with proportionate caution: this is a difficult away opener, and simply taking points from it would be a creditable outcome.