In the context of heavy personnel losses and having to play away, coach Kim Sang Sik 's announcement that the Vietnamese team would win all 3 points against Malaysia surprised many people.

In fact, this is a very difficult match for the Vietnamese team when a series of key players are absent due to injury, there is a short preparation time, there are no international friendly matches to "warm up" (while Malaysia has 2 matches against the world's 72nd ranked team Cape Verde), under great pressure at the "fire pan" Bukit Jalil with a capacity of more than 80 thousand fans...

But coach Kim Sang Sik is still confident that the Vietnamese team will defeat Malaysia. That is not only a word of encouragement for his players, but also shows careful preparation and analysis of the opponent's strengths and weaknesses.

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Vietnam team ready for the decisive match with Malaysia. Photo: SN

In terms of strength, the Vietnamese team still maintains a core of experienced and talented players. If this core can fully develop its strength, the Vietnamese team will be a formidable team.

With the mindset of the 2024 ASEAN Cup defending champion, the Vietnamese team is not afraid of the pressure at Bukit Jalil Stadium, and is not afraid when facing the naturalized players of Malaysia.

But that is not enough for the "Golden Star Warriors" to win the upcoming key match in the final qualifying round of the 2027 Asian Cup. The Vietnamese team needs to have many options in terms of personnel and playing style, with the sole goal of winning all 3 points.

In the match against Malaysia, Tuan Hai and Tien Linh are still coach Kim Sang Sik's top choices in the forward line, but the Korean strategist can assign the goal-scoring task to other positions. This is the most surprising move that the Vietnamese team has for Malaysia.

Quang Hai, Hoang Duc, Hai Long, Minh Khoa, Van Vi, Quang Vinh... are all players with good finishing ability and have scored many times for the Vietnamese team. If they have space, when Malaysia only "surrounds" the red-shirt strikers, scoring opportunities will open up for coach Kim Sang Sik's team.

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Vietnam team affirms the mettle of the 2024 ASEAN Cup defending champion.

Of course, using midfielders and defenders to "score goals" is just a temporary solution for Coach Kim. The Vietnam team still needs real strikers and the best form. But if they can defeat their opponents in the first leg, the second leg will be very easy, not to mention the team will welcome the return of Xuan Son, Vi Hao, Van Toan, Cong Phuong...

On the defensive front, goalkeeper Dinh Trieu and Nguyen Filip are both ready to start, while the three central defenders are experienced players: Duy Manh, Thanh Chung, Bui Tien Dung.

Overall, the Vietnamese team seems to be weakened but is still a really dangerous team. If Malaysia is too confident in their naturalized stars and home field advantage, they could pay a very high price.

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/tuyen-viet-nam-thang-malaysia-nho-chieu-bat-ngo-2408205.html