According to the schedule, Quang Hai and his teammates will meet the Cambodian team on March 19. After 6 days, the team will meet Laos. Both matches took place at Go Dau Stadium, Binh Duong. Vietnam - ranked 114th in the world is rated much higher than the two opponents Cambodia (ranked 180) and Laos (ranked 186). Therefore, the team's goal is nothing other than to win.
The friendly match against Cambodia will be an important test for Kim Sang-sik and his team, before meeting Laos in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers. After winning the 2024 ASEAN Cup, the Vietnam team must start a new cycle, with the only goal of winning a ticket to the 2027 Asian Cup through the qualifiers.
Nguyen Xuan Son's absence due to injury forced the team to play differently. This striker has scored 7 goals in the first 5 matches for the Vietnam national team, has the ability to play independently, and possesses outstanding qualities compared to many other players. His absence will certainly greatly affect the attacking ability of the Vietnamese team.
But on the other hand, this also creates conditions for other strikers of the Vietnam national team to have more opportunities to affirm their talents and roles. Tien Linh, the owner of the 2024 Vietnam Golden Ball, is the number 1 candidate to play the role of the team's spearhead striker in the upcoming 2 matches.
In addition, Pham Tuan Hai is also very eager to prove himself and contribute more to the national team after a period of not playing much. In addition, fans also expect Bui Vi Hao and Dinh Thanh Binh to become more mature after a successful tournament with the team.
In this training session, the Vietnam team only has 1 new player, center back Ly Duc of Hoang Anh Gia Lai. He is considered a promising young talent in Vietnamese football. In addition, coach Kim Sang-sik also called back a number of players such as Vo Hoang Minh Khoa (Binh Duong), Tran Bao Toan (Hoang Anh Gia Lai), Nguyen Thai Son (Dong A Thanh Hoa), Trieu Viet Hung (Hai Phong).
They will help Mr. Kim Sang-sik have more options for personnel on the lines, in the context that some other veterans cannot participate due to injury such as Ho Tan Tai, Nguyen Van Toan, Pham Xuan Manh.
In this training session, the Vietnam team will have the participation of new assistant Lee Jung-soo. The former central defender of the Korean team is expected to help the Vietnamese team build a solid defense and develop young players.
In general, the Vietnamese team has made moderate changes compared to the 2024 ASEAN Cup. With the mindset of a team that won the regional championship and was rated much higher than their opponent, Tien Linh and his teammates need to show a consistent and effective playing style to achieve maximum results.
At the 2024 ASEAN Cup, the Vietnamese team beat the Lao team 4-1. In the most recent meeting with the Cambodian team, the Vietnamese team also won their opponent 4-0. Hopefully these results will be repeated in the upcoming 2 matches.
