I INDONESIA MOST DANGEROUS
In the AFF Cup 2024, a tournament not included in FIFA Days, the Indonesian team still has a series of pillars. That is Marselino Ferdinan, the player who shone brightly in the 2-0 victory over Saudi Arabia. That is Pratama Arhan, the left-back with powerful throw-ins, who once caused many troubles for the Vietnamese team. That is Ivar Jenner, the midfielder who played for the Ajax Amsterdam youth team. That is Rafael Struick, the striker who played extremely well in the 2024 AFC U-23 Championship.
Marselino Ferdinan just scored a double against Saudi Arabia
But compared to the squad that defeated Vietnam 3-0 at My Dinh Stadium in March 2024 and the squad that is making an impression in the third qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup, the players that coach Shin Tae-yong will use in the upcoming squad are not as good. Extremely classy players such as center back Jay Idzes, defenders Sandy Walsh, Calvin Verdonk, midfielder Thom Haye, striker Ragnar Oratmangoen... are all absent. The remaining players are mainly young faces, lacking experience in top-level competition. There are up to 20 players who have never played for the national team. Those with a little more experience such as Muhammad Ferrari, Arkhan Fikri, Hokky Caraka, Ronaldo Kwateh have all played less than 10 matches for the Indonesian team.
Overall, the Indonesian team only has about 5-7 good players who have proven their class. Meanwhile, the Vietnamese team brings the best quality squad to the AFF Cup 2024. This is an opportunity for Quang Hai and his teammates to win, ending a series of 3 defeats against this opponent. However, coach Kim Sang-sik and his team still need to be careful.
3 VICTORIES WITHIN REACH
If they defeat Indonesia, Vietnam will have a good chance of winning the top spot, because the other teams are not very strong. The Philippines just lost to Hong Kong (ranked 156th in the FIFA rankings) in a friendly match in November. After German-born Stephan Schrock retired, the Philippines no longer has any formidable players. During the "lost" period under coach Troussier until the initial bewilderment of coach Kim Sang-sik, the Vietnam team was still strong enough to defeat this opponent in both matches of the second qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup. At the 2024 AFF Cup, when coach Kim Sang-sik has more time, defeating the Philippines is within reach.
Myanmar lost two consecutive matches in the FIFA Days series in November against Lebanon and Singapore. The only victory of this team in the last 10 matches came against Sri Lanka, a team ranked 200th in the FIFA rankings. The rest, they suffered 7 losses.
The Laos team has made progress when they just held Thailand to a 1-1 draw, with some talented young players such as Damoth Thongkhamsavath and Bounphachan Bounkong. This attacking duo has long been gaining experience in many youth tournaments in the region such as U.23 Southeast Asia, SEA Games and has performed quite well. However, the Laos team has no other notable factors. Just by locking down Damoth and Bounphachan, the Vietnamese team will have many opportunities to win and this is what the defenders under coach Kim Sang-sik can do.
With the current balance of power, the Vietnamese team has the task of winning the top spot in Group B. If they can do this, the players will be filled with a lot of confidence before entering the semi-finals. In addition, if they win against the Indonesian team in the second match, the Vietnamese team will almost certainly advance. At that time, coach Kim Sang-sik will have the right to "hide the cards", calculate the force and save energy for the pillars. These are also important factors to be able to reap success in a tournament that takes place continuously in a short period of time like the AFF Cup.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/aff-cup-doi-thu-cua-doi-tuyen-viet-nam-manh-co-nao-185241202230624247.htm
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