Form U23 Philippines vs U23 Indonesia
U23 Philippines was the team that made the strongest impression in the opening match of the group stage of U23 Southeast Asia 2025. Although rated lower than U23 Malaysia, the team under the direction of coach Garrath McPherson surprised everyone with a 2-0 victory.
Despite only having less than 30% ball possession and a total of 7 shots, 1/3 of their opponents, U23 Philippines still earned 3 valuable points thanks to disciplined play, a perfect double from striker Otu Bisong and excellent performance in goal from goalkeeper Nicholas Guimaraes.
Defeating their direct opponent 2-0, U23 Philippines is certainly very excited and confident. Remember, this is only their first victory in the last 3 finals against opponents above or of equal strength.
If they get 1 more point in the match against host U23 Indonesia, the door to the semi-finals will be wide open for coach McPherson and his team.
In case of only finishing second in Group A, the chance of U23 Philippines to continue is still very bright because in the remaining two groups, the confrontations between the weaker teams in the group all ended with a draw. The possibility that the second team in Group B and C will only earn 1 point is very likely to happen.
With high spirits and completely relaxed, U23 Philippines may cause certain difficulties for U23 Indonesia.
However, the home team has prepared carefully and part of their strength was shown through the devastating 8-0 victory over U23 Brunei in the opening match.
Against an opponent weaker in every aspect, U23 Indonesia has not yet shown its best. The team under coach Gerald Vanenburg will probably only have to really exert its strength when facing the annoying defensive counter-attacking style of U23 Philippines.
Seeing the opponent create a surprise against U23 Malaysia, the home team will have more reason not to allow themselves to enter the game subjectively.
Ferrari and his teammates will have to keep an eye on naturalized players on the other side of the front line such as midfielder Jax Pena, Gavin Muens and striker Otu Bisong (both born in the US).
Although there is only one naturalized name in the squad for the 2025 Southeast Asian U23 Championship (striker Jens Raven), Indonesia U23 can still defeat their opponents thanks to a squad of stars who have played impressively for the young teams of the archipelago nation, such as captain Ferrari, Achmad Maulana, Firmansyah, and Arkhan Fikri.
Team information U23 Philippines vs U23 Indonesia
U23 Philippines: No notable faces are absent.
U23 Indonesia: Can play with the strongest lineup. Among them, naturalized striker Jens Raven, who scored 5 goals against U23 Brunei, is the name that the U23 Philippines defense must pay special attention to.
Expected lineup U23 Philippines vs U23 Indonesia
U23 Philippines: Nicholas Guimaraes, Noah Leddel, Kamil Amirul, Martin Merino, Dov Carino, John Lucero, Taningco, Javier Mariona, Jax Pena, Gavin Muens, Otu Bisong
U23 Indonesia: Ardiansyah, Ferrari, Pamngkas, Darwin, Scheunemann, Fikri, Hanan, Maulana, Arjuna, Firmansyah, Raven
Prediction: 1-3
Watch the full 2025 Southeast Asian U23 Football Championship Mandiri Cup™ on FPT Play, visit http://fptplay.vn
Source: https://baovanhoa.vn/the-thao/nhan-dinh-tran-dau-u23-philippines-vs-u23-indonesia-20h00-ngay-187-dem-kiem-chung-ngua-o-tai-bung-karno-153356.html
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