Vietnam U23 vs UAE U23 (10:30 PM today): Continuing the fairytale story.

(Dan Tri Newspaper) - The UAE U23 team is considered stronger than the Vietnam U23 team. However, given the high confidence of Coach Kim Sang Sik's team and their sound tactics, the Vietnam U23 team has a good chance of winning.

Báo Dân trí•16/01/2026

Vietnam U23 brilliantly defeated Saudi Arabia U23 1-0.

*The quarter-final match of the 2026 AFC U23 Asian Championship between Vietnam U23 and UAE U23 will take place at 10:30 PM tonight (January 16th) at the Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium in Jeddah (Saudi Arabia). Dan Tri will provide live coverage of this match.

Essentially, UAE football is similar to Saudi Arabian football. People from these two neighboring countries share similarities in physique and fitness. Therefore, UAE players have speed, technical skill, and good physical fitness, just like Saudi Arabian players.

Vietnam U23 vs UAE U23 (10:30 PM today): Continuing the fairy tale - Part 1

Vietnam U23 once defeated Saudi Arabia U23, a team with a similar playing style to UAE U23 (Photo: AFC).

But, much like the Saudi Arabian players, the UAE players are not highly regarded for their tactical discipline or mental strength. On a day when they are in a relaxed state of mind, the Arab teams will play very creatively, unpredictably, and attractively.

Conversely, if they face a psychological disadvantage, when the match doesn't go as planned, UAE players easily lose their composure, fail to perform to their full potential, and most importantly, often lose their ability to work together as a team.

Therefore, the task for the Vietnam U23 team when facing the UAE U23 team is to psychologically frustrate the players of the Arab team, preventing the match from going according to their plan.

As mentioned, UAE football is still stronger than Vietnamese football. UAE players have better qualities than Vietnamese players. Choosing an attacking style of play against this opponent in tonight's match would be nothing short of "suicidal" for the Vietnam U23 team.

Vietnam U23 vs UAE U23 (10:30 PM today): Continuing the fairy tale - Part 2

The UAE U23 team lacks tactical discipline and mental fortitude (Photo: AFC).

We must play calmly and slowly, just like we did against U23 Saudi Arabia in the final group stage match. The slower Coach Kim Sang Sik's team plays, the more impatient and easily flustered the opponent will become.

The next crucial point is that the Vietnam U23 team must avoid conceding early goals. If they concede early, the game could easily fall apart, forcing them to push forward in search of an equalizer, which could easily lead to them running out of steam against a stronger opponent.

Conversely, if we hold our ground for a certain period, the opponent will gradually become discouraged, lose composure, and disrupt their own formation. At that point, the Vietnam U23 team can bring on their key players, exploit the opponent's weaknesses, suddenly accelerate, and score.

This is the tactic that the Vietnam U23 team applied and successfully used in their match against Saudi Arabia U23 on January 12th. Now, we can apply that tactic again and still succeed against the UAE U23 team, which has many similarities to Saudi Arabia U23.

We believe that with superior tactical discipline and the extensive experience of the players in the squad, the Vietnam U23 team will know how to win against the UAE U23 team.

Prediction: Vietnam U23 wins 2-1.

Vietnam U23 vs UAE U23 (10:30 PM today): Continuing the fairy tale - Part 3