(VNF)- Ticket fever for a high-profile friendly match between the English Premier League club Manchester City and the Vietnamese national football team is not yet in as predicted, though there are a mere four days to the game.

Around 10,000 tickets for retail did not sell out on July 19 as predicted.

Unlike previous matches with other famous foreign teams which attracted long queues, local fans have showed seeming indifference at the upcoming game so far.

The four sets of ticket prices are VND1.8 million (US$83), VND1.5 million ($69), VND1 million ($46) and VND600,000 ($27.6), which are the highest of any match with a renowned foreign team in Vietnam.

The situation was quite different with the matches with Arsenal in 2013 and the Brazilian national team in 2008 in Hanoi, when tens of thousands of fans waited in long lines from midnight to buy tickets.

Tickets to the match with Arsenal two years ago fetched VND1.5 million ($69), VND1 million ($46), VND700,000 ($32) and VND400,000 ($18).

Some sports business insiders put local fans’ ignorance of the match down to unsuitable time.

The English Premier League club is set to play the friendly with the Vietnamese national football team on Monday, July 27 in Hanoi.

Monday is not the favorite day for fans to go to a stadium, the experts explained.

The game will start at 8:00 pm, which means fans will not leave the stadium before 10:00 pm.

The experts, however, have their fingers crossed that ticket sale will pick up during the final days before the match.

The match will be broadcast live on national channel VTV6, which is possibly another factor contributing to fans’ lack of eagerness to buy such expensive tickets as they can watch it live on TV./.

by VNF