U23 Vietnam is preparing to enter the key match against U23 UAE in the quarter-finals of the 2026 AFC U23 Championship.
The journey of U23 UAE to the knockout round is not really convincing. The West Asian team only qualified for the next round in the last match of Group B after a 1-1 draw against U23 Syria, thereby ranking second in the group thanks to a better goal difference. Having to wait until the last minutes of the group stage shows that UAE faces many difficulties in maintaining stability.
In the opposite direction, U23 Vietnam entered the quarter-finals with a different position. Coach Kim Sang-sik's team finished the group stage with a perfect record, winning the top spot in Group A. U23 Vietnam also impressed with its tight playing organization, ability to control the pace of the match and quick state transitions, creating many dangerous situations.
Stable form helps U23 Vietnam to be highly rated before the confrontation with U23 UAE. According to prediction data released by the Asian Football Confederation, U23 Vietnam's chances of winning are up to 88%, the highest among the quarter-final matches.
In the past two training sessions, the U23 Vietnam coaching staff actively collected information about the opponent. After directly watching the U23 UAE match in the group stage, Mr. Kim and his assistants analyzed how to operate the squad, key personnel as well as tactical options that the opponent could use.
The advantage of U23 UAE is physique and fitness, along with some quite quality naturalized players. However, this team is assessed as not having many factors to create clear breakthroughs.
If they maintain focus and patience in deploying their playing style, U23 Vietnam has every opportunity to exploit the opponent's limitations to aim for positive results.
The match between U23 Vietnam and U23 UAE takes place at 10:30 PM today (January 16) and is broadcast live on TV360.
Live viewing link:
//tv360.vn/tv/tv360-10?ch=9957&ev=77006&es=1&col=banner§=BANNER&page=home
Watch the full match of the 2026 AFC U23 Championship Finals on TV360 at https://tv360.vn . Smooth experience on multi-platform, replay - review, free 4G/5G Viettel data.
