Before leaving for the UAE, U23 Vietnam had two changes compared to the original list. Accordingly, midfielder Dinh Xuan Tien suffered from thigh muscle overload, while striker Nguyen Ngoc My suffered from right adductor muscle injury. Both were forced to stay in Vietnam for treatment and recovery.

Not being able to train with U23 Vietnam is a pity for Xuan Tien and Ngoc My. Before the training session, Xuan Tien scored a beautiful goal to help The Cong Viettel draw 1-1 with Ninh Binh in round 6 of LPBank V-League 2025/26, while Ngoc My is the type of player that coach Kim Sang Sik likes.

To have enough players for practice and competition, the coaching board called up Le Dinh Long Vu (SLNA) and Nguyen Le Phat ( Ninh Binh ) to replace the above two players.

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U23 Vietnam departs for UAE. Photo: VFF

Acting head coach Dinh Hong Vinh commented: “Vietnam U23 is still on track towards the 33rd SEA Games and the 2026 AFC U23 Championship. In the immediate future, the team will have different training periods to test and perfect its squad. For this October training session, head coach Kim Sang Sik discussed technical details very specifically. The team needs to focus on passing ability, maintaining a reasonable formation distance and creating space behind the defense line.”

In October, while the Vietnam National Team has two matches against Nepal, the Vietnam U23 team also has two international friendly matches with the Qatar U23 team, taking place on October 9 and October 13.

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U23 Vietnam has the best preparation for SEA Games 33 and the 2026 AFC U23 Championship. Photo: VFF

According to coach Dinh Hong Vinh , this is a valuable opportunity for the team to be challenged and evaluate its strength. He said: "Meeting high-level opponents like U23 Qatar is very useful. These two matches help the coaching board to better assess potential, adaptability and identify more quality players to report to head coach Kim Sang Sik, thereby preparing well for the next training sessions."

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/u23-viet-nam-di-uae-chia-tay-2-cau-thu-2449945.html