Nepal finalizes personnel to compete with Vietnam team: 'Soft' opponent, but coach Kim needs to pay attention...

Nepal has finalized the official list for the two matches against Vietnam (October 9 and 14) in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers, taking place in Ho Chi Minh City.

Nepal team finalizes official list

The list of 24 Nepalese players preparing for the match against Vietnam in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers was finalized today (October 5).

Coach Matt Ross's team brought to Vietnam a very young squad, with many faces at the U.23 and U.20 levels. The Nepal team is strongly rejuvenating its force, with the core being young faces. The South Asian representative is ranked 176th in the world (62 places below the Vietnam team), and has never passed the Asian Cup qualifiers.

Nepal team list

PHOTO: ANFA

According to Transfermarkt , the value of Nepal's squad is 1.5 million euros (about 45 billion VND), nearly 1/3 of the value of Vietnam's squad (5 million euros).

The most notable player in the Nepal squad is striker Anja Bista (27 years old), who has scored 13 goals in 70 matches for the national team. In addition, there is also "veteran" Rohit Chand with 97 matches for Nepal. The Nepalese players mainly play domestically, in Bangladesh, Indonesia or Laos.

Nepal has won just one match since the start of the year, a 1-0 away win against Singapore. In the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers, Nepal lost to Malaysia (0-2) and Laos (1-2). The team also drew 0-0 with Bangladesh and Hong Kong.

Vietnam team before the match against Nepal: Quang Hai absent, Van Lam returns

Overall, Nepal is an underdog compared to Vietnam, being rated lower than many teams such as Laos and Cambodia. The two matches against Nepal at Binh Duong Stadium (October 9) and Thong Nhat Stadium (October 14) are golden opportunities for the Vietnamese team to win big, take all 6 points to put pressure on Malaysia.

In the context that the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has not yet made a decision on the Malaysian football team's fake documents scandal, the Vietnamese team is still not sure to win 3-0. The players must do their part, which is to win as much as possible to accumulate points and compete for a ticket to the 2027 Asian Cup.

Although the opponent is weak, the Vietnamese team needs to be cautious and play with a scientific and moderate approach. Nothing can be predicted in football. Coach Kim Sang-sik and his team must prepare carefully to keep the victory at home.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/nepal-chot-nhan-su-dau-doi-tuyen-viet-nam-doi-thu-mem-nhung-thay-kim-can-luu-y-18525100512581293.htm