New: Coach Kim Sang-sik will definitely use Xuan Son to play against Laos, hoping he will score 1 goal to help Vietnam win.

Coach Kim Sang-sik expects Xuan Son to return with a goal in the match against Laos tomorrow (November 19), within the framework of the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers.

Coach Kim Sang-sik is confident of victory.

The Vietnamese national team will face Laos in the fifth match of the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers, taking place at 7 PM on November 19th at the Laotian National Stadium. In the first leg, coach Kim Sang-sik's team won convincingly 5-0 against Laos, extending their winning streak against their neighboring team to 11 matches.

With 9 points after 4 matches, 3 points behind league leaders Malaysia, the Vietnamese national team needs to defeat Laos to continue their pursuit of a ticket to the 2027 Asian Cup.

Coach Kim Sang-sik

PHOTO: THUY AN

At a press conference on the afternoon of November 18th, coach Kim Sang-sik affirmed that the Vietnamese national team had made thorough preparations to bring home three points.

"Tomorrow's match is the last game for the Vietnamese national team in 2025. I think this is an important match to end the year on a good note. We have prepared well for the match against Laos. The players are also in good form, so we will try our best to have a good game and a good result," emphasized coach Kim Sang-sik.

"All my players are in top physical condition and I believe that tomorrow we will have a good match and achieve a good result. We will try our best. This is the last match of the year for the Vietnamese national team, and I believe the whole team is in top physical condition, at 100%."

According to coach Kim Sang-sik, the Vietnamese national team is not concerned with external factors, but is only focused on winning the upcoming match against Laos, and then preparing for the clash with Malaysia in the final match in March 2026.

"The most important thing is to get three points. Although we still have the next match against Malaysia, winning tomorrow's game is crucial. A victory will be a great boost for the upcoming matches," Kim emphasized.

Xuan Son's hilarious expressions on the field, Coach Kim assembles the lineup for the match against the Laos national team.

Xuan Son is fit enough to play.

In the match against Laos, the Vietnamese national team welcomed back Xuan Son. The Brazilian-born striker returned after a year of recovering from injury.

Over the past 11 months, Xuan Son has only played a few minutes in internal friendly matches between Nam Dinh and PVF-CAND Youth team. During nine consecutive months, the 28-year-old player did not play a single match.

Coach Kim Sang-sik hopes Xuan Son will score a goal.

PHOTO: THUY AN

However, Xuan Son is complying with the coaching staff's request to train. The 28-year-old striker believes he is fit enough to play. Coach Kim is also keeping his options open for him to play.

"I've heard that without Xuan Son, Nam Dinh FC went through a very difficult period. I also want to thank Nam Dinh for taking care of Xuan Son. I think using him (in the match against Laos) was entirely possible. Xuan Son spent 10 months recovering from his injury, and I am very grateful for that. I also want to thank his family and everyone who was by Xuan Son's side during that difficult time."

"Xuan Son's return will certainly bring more diverse attacking options to the Vietnamese national team. I hope that he will return with a goal to bring good news to Vietnamese fans. I am very happy that Xuan Son has recovered and is back," added coach Kim Sang-sik.

Finally, coach Kim Sang-sik affirmed that despite the unsatisfactory quality of the training ground, the Vietnamese national team overcame the difficulties to ensure the training progress.

"Regarding the training ground conditions, I know they're not 100% perfect, but we've completed our training sessions well under those conditions. The players have trained very well, and it hasn't affected us too much. We will maintain our determination and maximum focus for tomorrow's match," Kim concluded.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/moi-hlv-kim-sang-sik-chac-chan-dung-xuan-son-dau-lao-mong-anh-ghi-1-ban-giup-viet-nam-chien-thang-185251118120053278.htm