Waiting for a beautiful victory of the Vietnamese team in Laos

Vietnam - Photo 1.

Vietnam team is expected to have a beautiful victory against Laos - Photo: VFF

After 4 matches in Group F, Vietnam has 9 points, temporarily ranked second in the group, behind Malaysia (12 points). To keep the hope of winning a ticket to the 2027 Asian Cup, Vietnam must win against Laos.

Waiting for progress

In case Malaysia is deducted 6 points by the AFC (Asian Football Confederation) in the two wins against Nepal and Vietnam for using illegal naturalized players, Vietnam will officially win a ticket to the 2027 Asian Cup.

But if this does not happen, the victory against host Laos will be a source of encouragement for coach Kim Sang Sik's team to head towards the decisive match against Malaysia in March 2026.

In the two matches against Nepal in October (both held in Vietnam), coach Kim Sang Sik and his team achieved their target of 6 points. However, the Vietnamese team's playing style could not satisfy the fans.

The "Golden Star Warriors" controlled the ball quite well but were not sharp enough in organizing the game. Especially in decisive situations, the Vietnamese players could not handle the ball well, missing a series of scoring opportunities.

Under coach Kim Sang Sik, the Vietnamese team is usually quite strong in flank attacks and set pieces. However, in the two matches against Nepal, these strengths were not well exploited. Given that reality, the demand from fans and experts for the Vietnamese team in the confrontation with Laos is a beautiful, convincing victory.

Facing a Laos team with higher quality players than Nepal, experts predict that coach Kim Sang Sik will choose a safe option with the strongest squad. Among them, Quang Vinh and Tien Anh will likely continue to play as the main players on the wings.

The midfield duo will also remain unchanged, with Hoang Duc and Thanh Long playing alongside each other. Meanwhile, Tien Linh will still be the highest player in attack. The defense of the Vietnamese team will most likely be the trio of Tien Dung - Duy Manh and Xuan Manh.

Waiting for Xuan Son to play

Coach Kim Sang Sik's problem is which players the Vietnamese team will use on the two wings. Van Vi (left) - Hai Long (right) could be the optimal option at this time.

The Laos team will certainly play defensively, while the penetration ability of Van Vi and Hai Long is highly appreciated. Mr. Kim can also use Van Do on the right wing to take advantage of the ability to penetrate the penalty area and shoot from a distance of the striker who plays for the Hanoi Police Club.

Regardless of who starts, the problem that Vietnam needs to solve is connection and communication with each other. That will still be the key to help the "golden star warriors" achieve good results against Laos. Another big concern of Vietnamese fans in the match against Laos is whether striker Xuan Son will play or not?

After 10 months of injury, Xuan Son has not played an official match. Coach Kim Sang Sik's call-up for the match against Laos was a surprise. However, the Korean coach's statements before the match against Laos showed that the possibility of Xuan Son playing is quite high.

But experts predict that coach Kim Sang Sik will probably bring him in from the bench in the final minutes of the match to get used to the rhythm of the game again. It is difficult to expect Xuan Son when he has just returned from injury and only played his first match.

However, his presence will certainly give his teammates a boost.