Vietnam has an advantage ahead of the second leg of the 2024 ASEAN Cup final after beating Thailand 2-1 in the first leg. Therefore, as long as coach Kim Sang-sik and his team do not lose at Rajamangala tonight, the Southeast Asian championship will return to the "Golden Star Warriors".
Before the first leg of the final, there were still opinions that Nguyen Filip would be the one to guard the goal for the Vietnamese team even though Dinh Trieu had played more matches before. However, Mr. Kim still kept this position after the semi-finals. Therefore, Filip's starting position in this tournament may no longer be available.
"I am very hesitant when making predictions about the goalkeeper position. In this match, Thailand will probably play a lot of high balls. Filip has good skills, is over 1.9m tall while Dinh Trieu is only over 1.8m tall so this will be an issue to consider. The Vietnamese team has recently had many taller central defenders than before but they cannot compete with Thailand's attack line with many tall players. Remember in the first leg, we lost 1 goal due to an aerial situation.
At this point, I am more inclined towards Dinh Trieu. Mr. Kim himself said that Dinh Trieu has good communication skills. Since he started, the Vietnamese team's defense has been better organized. In particular, being on the field regularly in the past few weeks has helped Dinh Trieu have a good feel for the ball.
However, if at the last minute, Mr. Kim chooses Filip, the ideological work with Dinh Trieu must be very good" - Commentator Quang Huy shared.
With a three-man defense, coach Kim Sang-sik often has a habit of substituting the right center back. In recent matches, Thanh Chung (middle) and Tien Dung (left) have played consistently, so it is likely that this pair will be kept.
"I think captain Duy Manh will return to the starting lineup in this match. He was on the bench in the previous match so he was very energetic. Duy Manh always gives his all every time he enters the field, plus the inherent bravery of a captain is a valuable asset for the team.
If Duy Manh enters the field as a right-sided centre-back, Xuan Manh can be pushed higher up the opposite wing to play as a left-sided midfielder in place of Van Vi. Xuan Manh has good physical strength and versatility so he can perform this role well.
On the opposite wing, I think the starter could be Tien Anh to replace Van Thanh. If Mr. Kim arranges like this, we still have many good reserve players for both wings such as Van Khang, Van Vi and Van Thanh" - Commentator Quang Huy predicted.
After the impressive first leg of the final, Mr. Kim's central midfield duo may still be Hoang Duc - Ngoc Tan. In this tournament, Ngoc Tan is the biggest discovery of the Vietnamese team. A player in his 30s, but he gives his all in every match and always plays the role of a steel shield in front of the defense.
"With Ngoc Tan sweeping behind, Hoang Duc is always confident to rush forward. Hoang Duc can take the impact but if he only enters the field like that, it will be a waste. He has many great attacking moves and great support for attacks" - Commentator Quang Huy predicted.
If Mr. Kim Sang-sik still maintains the same style of shuffling the lineup, Quang Hai may not have played from the start as a bridge between the midfield and the strikers. The chosen one could be Hai Long.
"I always want the team to play with a 3-attack formation, but looking at the reality of this tournament, playing with a pair of strikers and an attacking midfielder is more stable. I prefer the option of Hai Long playing behind the 2 strikers. This is a young player, with physical strength and energy, very easy to participate in defense from a distance and stick to the opponent.
Meanwhile, above, in addition to the irreplaceable position of Xuan Son, the remaining person could be Ngoc Quang. He is an interesting discovery in the past few matches. Ngoc Quang does not play alone, has a very good way of connecting with Xuan Son and the rest. In the context of Xuan Son being closely guarded, Ngoc Quang can play the role of a disruptor" - Commentator Quang Huy commented.
Commentator Quang Huy's expected lineup (3-4-1-2): Dinh Trieu; Tien Dung, Thanh Chung, Duy Manh; Xuan Manh, Hoang Duc, Ngoc Tan, Tien Anh; Hai Long; Xuan Son, Ngoc Quang.
