Lineup
Pre-match information
The opening match of the 33rd SEA Games between U22 Vietnam and U22 Laos is not expected to be easy, especially when the team from the land of a million elephants had a quality test in the confrontation with the Vietnam team in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers not long ago.
In that match, the Laos team used up to 8 U22 players. At the same time, the Vietnamese team must wait until a personal mistake by Laos in the penalty area to break the deadlock
Names such as Khounthoumphone, Xaysombath, Okham Latsachack, Damoth Thongkham Savath (currently playing in the V.League for Thanh Hoa) or Peter Phanthavong are factors that helped the Laos youth team create a solid framework for the campaign at the SEA Games.
Unlike the match at the national team level, it is likely that U22 Laos will be more proactive in attack when facing U22 Vietnam. However, defense is certainly still the priority choice of coach Ha Hyeok-jun, the foundation that has helped them stand firm in many recent matches.
This forces U22 Vietnam to carefully study their opponents to choose a reasonable approach. In addition to a favorable result, coach Kim Sang-sik and his team are also aiming for a big win to create a goal advantage against U22 Malaysia - the most important opponent in this group.
A big win against U22 Laos will make it easier for U22 Vietnam to calculate in the final round, even if they only need a draw against Malaysia if both teams have 3 points.
Regarding the playing style, it is likely that U22 Vietnam will proactively press from the start, control the ball and find a way to unlock the multi-layered defense of U22 Laos. But to win and win big, Khuat Van Khang and his teammates need to improve their efficiency in the final stages.
