Expected lineup Vietnam - Singapore: Xuan Son will not play center forward?

By the end of the 2024 ASEAN Cup group stage, only goalkeeper Trung Kien had not been put on the field by Kim Sang-sik. If Vietnam had beaten the Philippines in the group stage, they would have secured a place in the next round as the top team, and Trung Kien would have had a clear chance in the match against Myanmar. However, that did not happen.

"In my opinion, it is more difficult to predict the starting lineup of the Vietnamese team under Mr. Kim than when Mr. Park took over the team. Under Mr. Park, although the starting lineup may not be the same in each match, when it is important, he still has a framework, usually only changing 2-3 players in the front line. Meanwhile, Mr. Kim can change 6-9 positions, which is normal (match against the Philippines compared to match against Myanmar).

Maybe Mr. Kim still wants to search through the team's lineup to find the most suitable people. Besides, this is also a good way to give everyone a chance, everyone can play and prove their ability. However, this rapid change can gradually end, once we have entered the semi-finals" - Commentator Quang Huy commented.

The 5-0 win over Myanmar with Xuan Son leading the attack left fans satisfied. However, before the first goal, the team was still confused at some points. The starting lineup in Viet Tri a few days ago may have come from Mr. Kim's accurate calculation of the strength of his opponent Myanmar. Therefore, the lineup against Singapore may change.

"I think in the recent victory over Myanmar, the Vietnamese team did not use their strongest formation because the opponent was too weak. Therefore, in the first leg of the semi-final against Singapore, we can still see 4-5 changes in the starting lineup. In the second leg, if the result in the first leg is good, the changes in new players will be less" - Commentator Quang Huy commented.

In the group stage, Singapore conceded 5 goals but still kept 2 clean sheets. The home team's defensive stats in the first leg of the semi-finals were also very good. Not to mention that Singapore's defenders are very strong, if they focus on surrounding Xuan Son, it will be difficult for him to escape. Therefore, Xuan Son may need a striker partner in this match to share the burden.

"In addition to Xuan Son, we still have Tien Linh who is very tall and experienced. Besides that, Tuan Hai, Vi Hao, Thanh Binh also have many good qualities. Not to mention Hoang Duc or Quang Hai can play high, like a third striker to surprise the opponent.

We can foresee the scenario that Xuan Son will be closely guarded, and the opponent may even use tricks. Therefore, we need to have a plan to share the fire with Xuan Son to avoid being passive" - ​​Commentator Quang Huy commented.