The Vietnam team has spent about a week of training preparing for the match against Malaysia in the final qualifying round of the 2027 Asian Cup.
Evaluating the training process of the whole team, coach Kim Sang-sik said: "The team will gather from May 30. Some players from Hanoi Police and Binh Duong gathered late, causing some difficulties in preparation. However, the players quickly caught up and showed a very good training spirit".
Regarding Cong Phuong's absence, the Korean coach said: "Cong Phuong was called up for the first time under me but was unfortunately injured and forced to leave the national team. This is a big loss because his experience is very useful for the match against Malaysia. However, with the remaining 23 players, the whole team will continue to improve their playing style, preparing best for the next match".
Over the past 10 years, the Vietnam team has surpassed Malaysia in both expertise and head-to-head record. However, in this training session, "War Elephants" have the service of quality naturalized stars. This will be a big challenge for Mr. Kim Sang-sik and his team.
"The fact that Malaysia has not been able to beat Vietnam for more than 10 years is quite special, especially when they are like Thailand - which is our fateful opponent. However, this achievement also partly reflects the careful preparation and confidence of the Vietnamese players. I hope the whole team will continue to maintain these factors in the upcoming match.
According to the information we have, Malaysia has about 8-10 new naturalized players compared to the most recent tournament, causing many difficulties in analyzing opponent tactics. We will continue to monitor and analyze to get the luggage carefully," the captain of the national team emphasized.
Commenting on the integration and training process of the new players, Mr. Kim said: "Cao Pendant Quang Vinh can play in many positions, from left-sided center back, full-back to winger. His appearance has helped the team's tactics become more flexible. I will continue to analyze to make the most of Quang Vinh's strengths as well as the other players".
Faced with the heat on Bukit Jalil (Malaysia), the Sang-Sik coach said: "We had a great experience under the pressure of the audience in the Rajamangala Stadium (Thailand) in the final round of ASEAN Cup 2024. I think that it is important that the player must trust himself, teammates and coaching staff to overcome pressure, towards the best results."
According to the plan, the Vietnam team will leave for Malaysia on the morning of June 6.
Coach Kim Sang Sik once again affirmed the team's unwavering goal: "All matches are very stressful, but the joy will be doubled when we overcome difficulties and win. I always believe that the players will unite and make efforts to overcome the challenges.
Although the qualifying round takes place in a first-leg format, we do not want to lose any points and aim to win all 3 points in the next match. In general, winning is always the highest goal of the Vietnamese team".
