Vietnam team confident to face Malaysia

In Group F of the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers, Malaysia is a worthy opponent of the Vietnamese team, competing for the only ticket to the final round. The tournament's regulations stipulate that the team that finishes first in the group after the qualifying round will qualify for the 2027 Asian Cup finals in Saudi Arabia.

Determined to win

Malaysia and Vietnam both won in the opening match of the qualifying round, but Mr. Kim's team temporarily topped the group thanks to a better secondary score. Preparing for the match against Vietnam, coach Peter Cklamovski's team started training on May 18 with 38 players. On May 26, the Australian strategist reduced the squad to 31 players and will continue to shape the framework after 2 friendly matches with the "blue team" team Cape Verde (ranked 72nd in FIFA).

The Malaysian Football Federation even decided to withdraw the national team's key players from the ASEAN All-Stars squad for the friendly match against Manchester United at Bukit Jalil Stadium on May 28. The move shows Malaysia's determination to win and take the top spot in Group F.

Tuyển Việt Nam tự tin chạm trán Malaysia - Ảnh 1. — Vietnam team (right) is expected to beat Malaysia on June 10. Photo: QUOC AN

By naturalizing highly qualified players, the Malaysian team is stronger and has more depth than when participating in the ASEAN Cup 2024. According to experts, the Malaysian team can field almost all players playing abroad when facing the Vietnamese team. However, these players do not have much time to play together, so it will be difficult to have cohesion and synchronization when deploying tactical strategies.

The return of Cong Phuong

Compared to their opponents, the Vietnamese team is at a disadvantage because they have less time to prepare. The team is expected to gather on May 29, but it will take until June 4 to have enough players because some players have to complete their duties at their home clubs. Coach Kim Sang-sik himself and four players Duy Manh, Van Vi, Hoang Duc and Hai Long are also busy going to Malaysia to compete with Man United, a match in which Mr. Kim is assigned to be the head coach of the ASEAN All-Stars team.

In this gathering, the Vietnamese team also lost its strength when many key players were absent due to injuries such as: Nguyen Xuan Son, Bui Vi Hao, Ho Tan Tai or Nguyen Van Toan. However, coach Kim Sang-sik still has the strongest squad at the moment, notably the return of striker Nguyen Cong Phuong - who was very lucky to score goals when competing with Malaysia, and Vietnamese-American player Cao Pendant Quang Vinh. This duo is considered to have high professional qualifications, courage and extensive playing experience, quickly adapting to coach Kim Sang-sik's football philosophy.

When selecting the squad, coach Kim Sang-sik called up mostly experienced players who have played for the national team for many years, so it will not take too much time to assemble the squad to face the Malaysian team. Basically, the Vietnamese team will still use a style of play that focuses on ball control and proactive attack like in the 2024 ASEAN Cup, but there will be a few adjustments to suit the current players.

Vietnam will win all 3 points at the "fire pan" of Bukit Jalil if they can overcome the pressure from the home crowd and take advantage of opportunities, exploiting the weakness of Malaysia's midfield.