Indonesian media believes this is the match that can accurately reflect the ability of the team under coach John Herdman.
According to a leading newspaper in the land of the Ten Thousand Islands, the Indonesian team had a favorable start with a 5-1 victory over Cambodia and 3-0 over Timor Leste. However, these results are not enough to confirm the strength of "Garuda", because both opponents are rated lower. Therefore, the match against Vietnam has a completely different meaning.
The Vietnamese team is still one of the most difficult opponents for Indonesia in Southeast Asia. The fact that coach Kim Sang-sik's team was held to a 0-0 draw by Singapore increased the pressure of points, but it does not mean that the Vietnamese team's strength is declining," this newspaper wrote.
Conversely, the need for victory to maintain self-determination may make Vietnam play more proactively. Indonesian newspapers assess the attack with Xuan Son, Hoang Hen and Tai Loc as factors that the home team must be especially vigilant about.
Besides, Quang Hai, Hoang Duc, Dinh Bac, Xuan Manh, Thanh Chung or Van Hau are all experienced players in matches against Indonesian football.
In the opposite direction, Indonesia has home advantage and is owning many players with the ability to create breakthroughs such as Thom Haye, Mitchell Baker or Egy Maulana Vikri. Coach John Herdman's team is also more relaxed when there is still a match against Singapore in the final round to compete for a ticket to the semi-finals.
Indonesian media commented that after two warm-up matches, the confrontation at Pakansari is seen as a real test for the ambitions of both teams.
