Form of U23 Vietnam vs U23 Laos
U23 Vietnam is one of two teams with the latest debut at the 2025 Southeast Asian U23 Finals.
However, coach Kim Sang-sik and his team flew to Indonesia early to practice and get used to the climate and weather conditions. At this time, the Golden Star Warriors were in the best condition to begin their journey to defend the throne.
U23 Vietnam entered the tournament with the mindset of the champion of the last two U23 AFF Cups. The pressure on Van Khang, Victor Le, Quoc Viet, Dinh Bac... is of course there, but not too great. At least in the group stage, U23 Vietnam promises not to face too many difficult challenges.
As long as they play at their best, the top spot in the table and the only ticket to the semi-finals will be hard to escape from the hands of the boys from the S-shaped land.
The squad includes many players who have experienced many regional youth tournaments and have competed in the V.League, enough for U23 Vietnam to be confident of at least passing the group stage.
But that does not mean that U23 Vietnam can be complacent. The Golden Star Warriors are rated higher, but this is only the first time coach Kim Sang-sik has directly led the U23 team since signing a contract with VFF (Vietnam Football Federation) more than a year ago.
The Korean coach's philosophies and ways of operating the squad have at least shown their effectiveness in friendly matches and training sessions before the tournament.
That has been demonstrated through positive results against quality "blue teams" such as U22 China, U22 Korea or U22 Uzbekistan.
U23 Laos is also considered a favorite opponent of U23 Vietnam. In the last 6 encounters between the two sides in U23 tournaments, Vietnam has won all.
In the most recent Southeast Asian U23 Finals (2023), U23 Vietnam defeated the neighboring team with a score of 4-1 in the opening match of the group stage.
In Group B, U23 Laos was rated the lowest. However, in the opening match, the young team from the Land of Millions of Elephants played quite impressively when they successfully held U23 Cambodia to a 1-0 draw.
Even if they had taken better advantage of the delicious opportunities at the end of the second half, the team under coach Ha Hyeok-jun could have left the field with all 3 points.
To keep their hopes of advancing, U23 Laos will have to defeat U23 Vietnam. A draw will not be enough for Phetvongsa and his teammates to avoid the prospect of early elimination. But facing the top candidate for the championship, the chance of U23 Laos earning even 1 point is likely to be very difficult.
Team information of U23 Vietnam vs U23 Laos
U23 Vietnam: Taking the field with the strongest force.
U23 Laos: Coach Ha Hyeok-jun may shuffle a few positions in the starting lineup compared to the draw with U23 Cambodia.
Expected lineup U23 Vietnam vs U23 Laos
U23 Vietnam: Trung Kien; Ly Duc, Hieu Minh, Nhat Minh; Van Khang, Thai Son, Van Truong, Minh Phuc; Victor Le, Quoc Viet, Dinh Bac
U23 Laos: Kop Lokphathip, Khammanh, Anantaza, Phetdavanh, Chanthavixay, Damoth, Khonesavanh, Peeter Phanthavong, Aliyakone, Phousomboun, Oun Phetvongsa
Prediction: 2-0
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-viet-nam-vs-u23-lao-17h00-ngay-197-chien-thang-dau-tay-153742.html
Comment (0)