After their first two matches at the 2024 ASEAN Cup, the Vietnamese team won all. The team defeated Laos 4-1 and Indonesia 1-0. This result helped Kim Sang-sik's team firmly top Group B with 6 points.
Meanwhile, the Philippines team, despite receiving high expectations, did not play successfully when they tied with two weaker opponents, Myanmar and Laos, with the same score of 1-1. In both of these matches, the Philippines team was behind.
With the current situation, the Philippines team must win to have a chance to compete for a ticket to the semi-finals. If they draw or lose, the team is considered hopeless. As for the Vietnam team, the team only needs 1 point to be sure to have a ticket to the next round.
Despite confidence and home field advantage, it is very difficult for the Philippines to defeat the Vietnam team.
In terms of head-to-head record, Quang Hai and his teammates are superior to their opponents. Statistics show that in the last 7 meetings, the Vietnamese team has won against the Philippines.
Vietnam's unbeaten streak against their opponents has lasted for 12 years. At the AFF Cup (formerly known as the ASEAN Cup) 2014, Vietnam beat their opponents 3-1. In the semi-finals of the AFF Cup 2018, Park Hang-seo's team continued to beat their opponents in both semi-finals, both with a score of 2-1. Also in 2018, Vietnam continued to beat their opponents 4-2, in a friendly match to prepare for the 2019 Asian Cup.
In 2022, the Vietnamese team continued to beat the Philippines 1-0. In the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in Asia, the Vietnamese team defeated their opponents with scores of 2-0 and 3-2, respectively. Notably, the 3-2 victory over the Philippines on June 6 was also the debut match of coach Kim Sang-sik.
For the Philippines, since the 2-3 loss at My Dinh Stadium, they have continued to have changes in the coaching bench. Coach Tom Saintfiet left the team and Albert Capellas took over. Stability is something the Philippines team lacks. In the past year, they have had 3 coaches, but their performance has not improved.
In the two matches against Myanmar and Laos, the Philippines team missed many good opportunities. Besides, their defense played unsafely. The performance of the home team made the media and the insiders disappointed.
“Philippines’ hopes of reaching the semi-finals are dashed after a draw with Laos,” the Spin headline read. According to them, with only 2 points, the home team will have a very difficult chance of advancing when they meet the two strongest teams in the group, Vietnam and Indonesia, in the last 2 matches.
Freddy Gonzalez - Director of National Teams of the Philippine Football Federation (PFF) was disappointed when the team only got 1 point against Myanmar. The initial target set by the PFF for the team was to get 6 points against Myanmar and Laos, before being determined to defeat the Vietnamese team at home.
But this time it didn't work out. With only 2 points, Capellas and his team had to focus all their energy on attacking against Vietnam. That would open up many opportunities for Tien Linh and his teammates.
Compared to their opponents, the Vietnamese team has the strongest squad. Tien Linh, Tuan Hai and Van Toan - the players who scored against the Philippines in the last two meetings are all still participating in the AFF Cup 2024. Meanwhile, the home team is missing a few key players in this year's tournament such as Gerrit Holtmann, Kevin Ray Mendoza...
With many advantages in hand, the Vietnamese team has many opportunities to extend its impressive streak against its opponents.
The Philippines vs Vietnam match will take place at 8:00 p.m. on December 18.
