U23 Philippines is not too unfamiliar to U23 Vietnam and just suffered a 1-5 defeat to U23 Uzbekistan in the opening match. The Southeast Asian team has revealed many limitations in defensive organization and connectivity between lines.
Meanwhile, U23 Vietnam only got a 1-1 draw against U23 Kuwait. Coach Dinh Hong Vinh's team created many chances but the finishing ability was not effective. U23 Vietnam had up to 27 shots but only put the ball into the net once.
Notably, Ngoc My is the player who made his mark when entering the field in the 2nd half and scoring the equalizer for U23 Vietnam. This striker's ability to choose positions and seize opportunities can bring more options in the attack in the match against U23 Philippines.
Short preparation time makes U23 Vietnam need to quickly maintain cohesion. However, the team still has experienced players such as Ngoc My, Van Binh, Duc Anh, Phi Hoang, Quoc Cuong... This is a fulcrum for U23 Vietnam to move towards a proactive game.
The ability to control the midfield and take advantage of opportunities will be the key. U23 Vietnam needs to maintain a reasonable formation distance, avoid losing the ball in dangerous areas and exploit the space behind the U23 Philippines defense.
U23 Philippines is likely to choose to play defensively and wait for counter-attack opportunities. After the 1-5 defeat to U23 Uzbekistan, this team needs to improve their defense organization if they want to limit pressure from U23 Vietnam.
With the advantage of team quality and head-to-head experience, U23 Vietnam has a basis to aim for victory. However, finishing ability will play an important role if coach Dinh Hong Vinh's team wants to solve the match in 90 minutes.
Expected lineup
U23 Vietnam: Van Binh, Ly Duc, Quang Kiet, Duc Anh, Phi Hoang, Xuan Bac, Quoc Cuong, Minh Phuc, Thanh Nhan, Ngoc My, Quoc Viet.
U23 Philippines: Guimaraes, Merino, Woods, Lucero, Rontini, Reyes, McManus, Baldisimo, Ortega, Rublico, Aldeguer.
