Mr. Kim will have a big change, dispelling rumors of wanting to share points with U.23 Malaysia.

Coach Kim Sang-sik's calculations in recent training sessions revealed his intention to change the U.23 Vietnam starting lineup, aiming to balance the two goals of not conceding a goal and scoring against U.23 Malaysia in the final match of Group B of the 33rd SEA Games men's football on December 11. Although a draw is enough to advance, Mr. Kim absolutely does not want to share points.

Báo Thanh niên•09/12/2025

CALMLY WAIT FOR U.23 M ALYSIA

The 4-1 victory over U.23 Laos is helping U.23 Malaysia receive high expectations, because at the 2025 Southeast Asian U.23 tournament and the 2026 Asian U.23 qualifiers, they both lost their opening matches. Coach Nafuzi Zain happily welcomed captain Ubaidullah Shamsul from Terengganu FC, hoping to strengthen the defense for the match in which they must beat U.23 Vietnam to enter the semi-finals. The key pair Fergus Tierney and Aliff Izwan Yuslan are ready to join the team if U.23 Malaysia reaches the semi-finals. On the contrary, the U.23 Vietnam team is still maintaining their usual calm and quiet demeanor under coach Kim Sang-sik. Despite the scorching hot weather and scorching sun in Bangkok, the entire U.23 Vietnam team always maintains high concentration, completing the very heavy training plan of the coaching staff. Everyone clearly understands that the key to the match with U.23 Malaysia on December 11 will lie with themselves. The players believe that if they play to their full potential, U.23 Vietnam will extend their winning streak against U.23 Malaysia over the past few years.

Ông Kim sẽ có thay đổi lớn, dập tan tin đồn muốn chia điểm với U.23 Malaysia- Ảnh 1. — U.23 Vietnam practices according to high intensity training plan of coach Kim Sang-sik with the goal of defeating U.23 Malaysia

Striker Le Phat shared: "During training sessions, coach Kim Sang-sik often reminds his players to always be confident, united and take advantage of the opportunities they have. U.23 Malaysia is a strong opponent. We must always be ready to adapt to any situation on the field. However, the team's goal remains the same, which is to be determined to win."

In fact, in the match against U.23 Laos, coach Kim Sang-sik's players created many scoring opportunities, but except for Dinh Bac's 2 goals, Quoc Viet, Thanh Nhan... were not able to execute the final moves well. After having 3 points in the opening match, Mr. Kim believes that the players will have a higher scoring efficiency in the match where U.23 Vietnam's only goal is to defeat the opponent.

WILL SHOULD THE CARDS FOR A SURPRISE?

In the last two training sessions, coach Kim Sang-sik made important adjustments when dividing the U.23 Vietnam squad to play against each other. Captain Van Khang, after playing on the left wing in the opening match, is being tested to play closer to the goal. He is good at playing as a winger at The Cong Viettel and has scored for U.23 Vietnam in the last training sessions in this position. Van Khang's skillful and powerful left foot promises to increase the damage for the attack from dribbling inside to pass or shoot. The understanding between him and Dinh Bac - playing the center forward position - is also an important suggestion when both possess a dynamic playing style, good at both shooting and creating. Especially the ability to pass people, winning in one-on-one duels will be the key to penetrating the defense of U.23 Malaysia, which has good physique, strength but is not good at turning.

The surprise could come from the two wings, where Mr. Kim is calculating to replace the two fullbacks. Phi Hoang is the default starter when Van Khang is pushed up high, and Anh Quan is very eager to show off after the first match as a substitute for Minh Phuc. It can be seen that in the most recent official tournaments at both the national team and U.23 levels, in the second match, Mr. Kim often replaces the reserve fullback to take advantage of the pent-up "thirst" for competition. In particular, the defensive strengths of Phi Hoang and Anh Quan will help create balance against U.23 Malaysia, which has many fast wingers.

Midfielder Xuan Bac no longer has to wear a knee bandage but is still scheduled to play in Team B, leaving Quoc Cuong to play alongside Thai Son. Perhaps Mr. Kim is being cautious to protect his legs for the next harsh knockout matches. In addition, the U.23 Vietnam team is also continuously experimenting with other positions such as between Tuan Phong and Ly Duc in the right center-back role or Le Viktor and Thanh Nhan in the right forward position. It will not be surprising if U.23 Vietnam plays offensively and drags the opponent into a power race in the first half, before players with great potential like Van Thuan, Le Viktor (or Thanh Nhan), Le Phat and Quoc Viet use their free energy to beat their tired energy to finish off the opponent in the second half.

The Indonesian press suspects that U.23 Vietnam will join hands with U.23 Malaysia to reach the semi-finals. But coach Kim will win. For sure.