Coach Kim Sang-sik hopes Xuan Son will score
The Vietnam team will visit Laos at 7:00 p.m. on November 19 in the 5th round of the 2027 Asian Cup final qualifiers. In the first leg, coach Kim Sang-sik and his team won 5-0, thereby increasing their winning streak against Laos to 11 matches. With 9 points after 4 matches, the Vietnamese team needs another victory to maintain the race for tickets to the final round.
At the press conference before the match at noon on November 18, coach Kim Sang-sik said that the team was fully prepared to aim for 3 points. He shared: Tomorrow's match is the last match of the Vietnam national team in 2025. I think this is an important match to end this year well... We will try our best to achieve a good match and a good result".
The Korean coach emphasized that the whole team has an optimal physical foundation, not affected by external factors, and the immediate goal is to win against Laos before preparing for the match against Malaysia in March 2026. The most important thing is to get 3 points. A victory will be a great motivation for the upcoming matches," he said.
One of the notable points is the return of striker Xuan Son after nearly a year of injury treatment. In the past 11 months, the 28-year-old player has barely played, except for a few minutes in Nam Dinh's internal friendly match. However, Xuan Son has met the physical requirements during the training sessions and has been considered by coach Kim.
I think using Xuan Son is completely possible. Xuan Son's return will certainly bring more diverse attack options for the Vietnam team. I hope he will return with a goal to bring good news to Vietnamese fans, said coach Kim Sang-sik.
Regarding training conditions in Laos, coach Kim Sang-sik said that the team has adapted and completed the training program well: Regarding training ground conditions, I know it is not 100% perfect, but we have completed the training sessions well. We will keep our determination and focus on tomorrow's match."
The Lao team is not too focused on Xuan Son
On the other side of the front line, coach Ha Hyeok-jun affirmed that the Laos team has been carefully prepared and ready for a big challenge at home. We are fully prepared and ready, he said. We not only want to win but also want to learn from a stronger team like the Vietnamese team.
The Korean coach said that Laos' goal is to limit mistakes, stay focused and make the most of opportunities. He also has special respect for striker Nguyen Xuan Son - the center of attention before this match. He is a very good player, very excellent.
However, if we focus too much on Xuan Son, we will ignore the other players. Whether Xuan Son or Quang Hai plays, we will still stick to the built-in playing style, coach Ha Hyeok-jun emphasized.
He said that Xuan Son's return was an important signal for the Vietnamese team and affirmed that Laos would not let its playing style be dominated by an individual. Also at the press conference, coach Ha expressed his appreciation for the development of Vietnamese football and the love of football of fans.
