I want to show respect to the journalists.

The chartered plane carrying the Russian coaching staff and players is expected to land at Noi Bai Airport ( Hanoi ) in the early afternoon of September 4th. After unpacking and resting after the long flight, the team will have their first training session at 7 PM and then hold a press conference at 8:15 PM on the same day.

This time slot is quite late compared to other pre-match press conferences, but coach Valery Karpin said he wanted the players to experience the atmosphere and weather in Vietnam and practice on the field before holding the press conference. This also shows respect for the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) and the Vietnamese media, as he wants to provide the most accurate information and share the most realistic insights after getting used to the environment in Vietnam.

Russia national team coach Valeri Karpin

On September 3rd, in an interview with Russian media, coach Valery Karpin also gave his initial assessment of the Vietnamese and Thai national teams. He stated that he had thoroughly studied both Southeast Asian teams and certainly did not underestimate either of them. Regarding the opinion that playing friendly matches against teams that are not "powerhouses" of world football would not benefit the Russian team, Karpin said that this is a crucial time for the players to regain focus, remember the tactics from the coaching staff, and that "facing any team is beneficial for the Russian team."

The Russian team's schedule in Vietnam is quite tight, as they only have one day in Hanoi before their first match against Vietnam at 8 PM on September 5th. They only have one evening training session to familiarize themselves with the pitch and also need to adjust to the time difference, weather, and humidity in a climate very different from Moscow.

The Russian national team hasn't participated in many major tournaments in the last two years.

"I think we won't have many problems. The match time is quite reasonable, and the players will adapt. Although the weather will be a little unpleasant, we will try to get used to it," said coach Karpin.

Previously, veteran Vietnamese national team midfielder Do Hung Dung also stated that the Russian players are all world-class, with extensive experience at the highest level, so the limited time to adapt and the different weather conditions would not pose any difficulty for them. Hung Dung and the Vietnamese players are also eagerly anticipating playing against a team of such caliber as Russia.

Do Hung Dung: 'We're all used to training on holidays'

This time, the Russian team is missing several top-tier players such as Maksim Glushenkov, Alexey Miranchuk, Anton Miranchuk, etc. The preliminary list of 27 players traveling to Vietnam also includes goalkeeper Matvey Safonov (who recently joined French club PSG). However, the goalkeeper is experiencing health issues and may not be able to play.

Goalkeeper Matvey Safonov (born in 1999) has just moved to PSG.

After their opening match against Vietnam at 8 PM on September 5th, the Russian team will face Thailand at 8 PM on September 7th, also at My Dinh National Stadium.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/doi-tuyen-nga-xin-hop-bao-sieu-muon-muon-danh-ton-trong-cho-phong-vien-185240903121403434.htm