U.23 Vietnam vs Cambodia: Le Viktor starts, midfield has a super 'strange' factor, Dinh Bac is on the bench

U.23 Vietnam takes the field with a strong lineup

Coach Kim Sang-sik has finalized the starting lineup for Vietnam U.23 in the opening match against Cambodia U.23 at 8:00 p.m. today (July 22). The formation used by Mr. Kim continues to be 3-4-3, with 2 changes compared to the match against Laos U.23.

Standing in the goal is goalkeeper Tran Trung Kien. The young goalkeeper of HAGL played in the match against U.23 Laos and kept a clean sheet. The challenge for Trung Kien in tonight's match is U.23 Cambodia with a more formidable attack.

U.23 Việt Nam đấu Campuchia: Lê Viktor đá chính, tuyến giữa có nhân tố siêu 'lạ', Đình Bắc dự bị- Ảnh 1. — Starting lineup of U.23 Vietnam

In defense, the central defender position belongs to Pham Ly Duc, Nguyen Hieu Minh and Nguyen Nhat Minh. Meanwhile, on the two wings, the starting positions are given to Nguyen Phi Hoang and Vo Anh Quan. Thus, the defense of U.23 Vietnam remains unchanged. This is also the familiar way of using people of coach Kim Sang-sik, when always prioritizing the stability of the defense.

In midfield, U.23 Vietnam will play with the duo Nguyen Van Truong and Nguyen Xuan Bac. The appearance of young talent Xuan Bac is a "strange wind" that promises to create a new look in the midfield. As for the attack, the selected strikers are Nguyen Quoc Viet, Khuat Van Khang and overseas Vietnamese Le Viktor. Thus, this is the first time Le Viktor has started for U.23 Vietnam in an official tournament.

Goal of U.23 Vietnam

Vietnam U23 defeated Laos U23 3-0 in the opening match of Group B of the Southeast Asian U23 Championship. A brace from central defender Nguyen Hieu Minh, along with a goal from Khuat Van Khang, helped coach Kim Sang-sik and his team have a perfect start to temporarily lead Group B.

If they win at least 1 point against U.23 Cambodia, U.23 Vietnam will definitely enter the semi-finals as group leader. This is a task within Van Khang and his teammates' reach, as U.23 Vietnam is at a level far superior to their opponents.

Cambodian youth football has improved over time. The proof is that in the 2025 AFC U-20 qualifiers, Cambodia U-20 shocked Bahrain U-20 with a score of 1-0 to finish second in the "death group". However, the capacity of Cambodian football is only limited to occasionally training a good generation of players.

In the opening match, U.23 Cambodia only had a 1-1 draw against U.23 Laos, in a match where the young Cambodian team could not overwhelm their opponent.

Although equal in skill to U.23 Laos, U.23 Cambodia has a different playing philosophy and approach when facing stronger opponents. The team from the land of pagodas does not retreat deep to defend like U.23 Laos, but chooses to push up the squad to press, putting fierce pressure to win the ball and organize attacks on the opponent's field. U.23 Cambodia also prioritizes deploying the ball in a layered manner in their home field and confidently competes with stronger teams.

That brings a quality "test" for the U.23 Vietnam defense, before the whole team moves on to bigger challenges in the next round.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/u23-viet-nam-dau-campuchia-le-viktor-da-chinh-tuyen-giua-co-nhan-to-sieu-la-dinh-bac-du-bi-1852507221629409.htm