The draw for the 2024 AFC U23 Championship qualifying round took place at 2:00 p.m. today, May 25. Specifically, the draw of luck placed U.23 Vietnam in Group C, along with opponents U.23 Singapore, U.23 Yemen and U.23 Guam.
This is a group that is considered "easy" for U.23 Vietnam. While U.23 Singapore and U.23 Guam have never won tickets to the U.23 Asian finals, U.23 Yemen has participated twice and lost all 6 matches, ranking at the bottom of the group.
U.23 Vietnam is stronger than the teams in the same group in the Asian qualifiers
Players need to show progress
U.23 Singapore is the most familiar opponent of U.23 Vietnam. At the 32nd SEA Games, coach Philippe Troussier and his team defeated their opponents with a score of 3-1 with an overwhelming advantage. Singapore youth football has not been able to recover, although the national team has been continuously rejuvenated and has achieved results (entering the semi-finals of the AFF Cup 2020). U.23 Singapore has a relatively good physique, but is not highly appreciated for its tactical thinking and individual technique.
However, the height of the U.23 Singapore players will pose a significant threat to U.23 Vietnam in aerial combat situations. This is a problem that the U.23 Vietnam coaching staff will have to carefully calculate when facing off in September. Overall, if they play tightly and do not make individual mistakes, Coach Troussier's students will not be afraid of their opponents from the lion island.
The opponent U.23 Yemen is relatively unfamiliar to U.23 Vietnam. At the national team level, Vietnam defeated Yemen 2-0 in the group stage of the 2019 Asian Cup. Being in the third seed group actually shows Yemen's class. The West Asian representative cannot be compared to the "flagship leaders" such as UAE, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Qatar, Iraq, Iran,... that Vietnam has faced at the U.23 level.
The development of Yemeni football has been hindered in recent times due to non-professional reasons. The last time Yemen U.23 was present in the final round of the AFC U.23 Championship was in 2016, that is, 7 years ago. The obstacle for Vietnam U.23 in this match is limited information about the opponent, because Yemeni football does not often have representatives participating in major tournaments.
U.23 Vietnam needs to remember the lesson at SEA Games 32
The opponent U.23 Guam can be considered the weakest team in this group. The goal of U.23 Vietnam when meeting U.23 Guam is not only to win, but to win big to create a competitive advantage in goal difference.
Besides being superior to their opponents, U.23 Vietnam also has home field advantage. The advantage of not having to travel, being familiar with the climate, being cheered by home fans, etc. will help coach Troussier and his team gain more strength.
Vietnam U.23 has participated in the last 4 U.23 Asian Cup finals (2016, 2018, 2020, 2022) and has a series of 5 consecutive victories in the qualifying round (from 2019 to present). Continuously competing with the top teams in Asia has helped Vietnamese youth football progress. Mr. Troussier's task is to ensure this progress.
The 2024 AFC U-23 Championship qualifiers will feature a total of 43 teams, competing from September 4 to 12. Each group will compete at a central location in a round-robin format, with the 11 group winners and the four best runners-up from all groups qualifying for the 2024 AFC U-23 Championship finals with the host team Qatar.
The 11 host teams in the U.23 Asian qualifiers include Vietnam, China, South Korea, Bahrain, Thailand, Indonesia, Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
The 2023 AFC U-23 Championship Finals will take place from April 15 to May 3, 2024. This is also the tournament that determines the top 3 teams to win the main AFC ticket to the Paris Olympics from July 24 to August 10, 2024. The 4th team will play a play-off match with the representative of the African region to compete for a wild card ticket.
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