On the afternoon of November 17 in Laos, the Vietnam team had a second training session to prepare for the rematch with Laos on November 19 in the second leg of Group F of the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers. Midfielder Nguyen Hai Long, who was assigned to answer the media interview and send a cautious message before the match.
Although the Vietnamese team has an outstanding head-to-head record, including a 5-0 victory in the first leg, Hai Long said that does not mean that the team can be subjective away from home, especially when the Lao team can have many changes after nearly a year.
He shared: "After nearly a year, the Laos team will definitely have changed and the Vietnam team will too. We will have a meeting to analyze the opponents. The coaching staff has plans for the head-to-head strategy against the home team".
One of the big challenges of the upcoming match is the quality of the field in Laos. However, Hai Long believes that this difficulty is not too big an obstacle, especially when he scored against Laos in this stadium at the 2024 ASEAN Cup.
"The pitch here is not very good, but I think it is not a big concern, and the players have to try to adapt to focus on their expertise," said the Vietnamese midfielder.
In addition to tactical preparation, the spirit of the whole team is also high when naturalized striker Nguyen Xuan Son returns after nearly a year of injury treatment. Hai Long expressed his joy at this important comeback.
"Xuan Son is a very good player, and when playing with him, the satellites around him learn a lot. Xuan Son's return helps the Vietnamese team have significant strength," he said.
The Vietnam team only has one day left to complete the tactical stages before facing Laos. A victory will create favorable momentum for coach Kim Sang-sik and his team to aim for the decisive match against Malaysia in March next year, the match that could decide the ticket to the next round of the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers.
