Vietnam vs Uzbekistan football prediction: Increasing difficulty

Uzbekistan is Vietnam's second opponent in the October friendly matches. This is a closed-door training match, as the Vietnamese national team is only allowed to play two official matches during this training camp - according to FIFA regulations.

After six months working with coach Philippe Troussier, the Vietnamese national team has gradually embraced an attacking, ball-control philosophy. Their ball possession rate has improved significantly. However, effectiveness remains low. Furthermore, the team's weak defense was the reason for their 0-2 defeat against China a few days ago.

The Vietnamese team has clearly changed its playing style, but coach Troussier still seems to be struggling to find a solution for the team's attack. Their ability to build up play in their own half and midfield is relatively stable, but the Vietnamese team lacks tactical depth when in possession of the ball in the opponent's half.

The Vietnamese team faces many concerns ahead of their match against Uzbekistan.

Coach Troussier experimented with many options, using almost all of Vietnam's best attacking players. However, this problem remains unresolved.

After four friendly matches, the team has only scored four goals. This is not a very impressive number, considering that Vietnam's opponents in recent matches were not exceptionally strong. Against Hong Kong (China), Syria, Palestine, or even the Chinese national team, the number of attacking opportunities created by open play was not as high as Coach Troussier had hoped.

Furthermore, the French coach has yet to clearly define the starting lineup. Although the current matches are experimental in nature, Coach Troussier is making fans impatient. The Vietnamese national team still hasn't had a match to showcase its optimal lineup as the 2026 World Cup qualifiers approach.

Meanwhile, the Uzbekistan team boasts several stars playing in Europe, including Husniddin Aliqulov (Caykur Rizespor, Türkiye), Abbosbek Fayzullaev (CSKA Moscow, Russia), Rustam Ashurmatov (Rubin Kazan, Russia), and Abdukodir Khusanov (RC Lens, France). This team, ranked among the top 10 in Asia, is clearly considered stronger than the Vietnamese team.

The challenge for coach Troussier and his team in this match is greater than the one against China. Coach Troussier will certainly continue to experiment. However, the Vietnamese team needs a good performance and must also pay attention to the result to prove that these experiments are on the right track.

Predicted lineups for Vietnam vs Uzbekistan

Vietnam: Van Lam; Tuan Tai, Ngoc Hai, Duy Manh, Minh Trong, Hung Dung, Thai Son, Tien Anh; Tien Linh, Hoang Duc, Tuan Hai.

Uzbekistan: Yysupov, Alikulov, Eshmurodov, Saitov, Khambobekov, Shukurov, Sayfiyev, Turgunboev, Abdikholikov, Masharipov, Khoshimov.

Prediction: Vietnam 0-2 Uzbekistan (Watch live football here)

Hoai Duong

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