Indonesia adds three players for match against Vietnam

Indonesia's squad is depleted due to injuries and the flu virus, forcing them to send three more players to Vietnam ahead of the fourth round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.

Indonesia will be without midfielder Marc Klok and goalkeeper Nadeo Argawinata due to injuries that have not yet recovered. Meanwhile, defender Sandy Walsh is suspended after receiving two yellow cards in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.

Coach Shin Tae-yong had to call up goalkeeper Ernando Ari, defender Muhammad Ferrari and midfielder Rachmat Irianto, of whom Ari and Irianto have just recovered from injuries. The Indonesian Football Federation (PSSI) arranged a flight for goalkeeper Ari to arrive in Hanoi last night, March 23, while Ferrari and Irianto will join the team this afternoon.

Indonesian national team center back Muhammad Ferrari. Photo: Bola

Goalkeeper Ari started in the 1-0 win over Vietnam in the group stage of the 2023 Asian Cup. Rachmat Irianto is a versatile player who can play as a defensive midfielder, center back and left back, and is also a fierce player. Meanwhile, Ferrari is a young center back who scored a header to make it 2-1 in Indonesia's 3-2 win over Vietnam in the semi-finals of the 32nd SEA Games.

In addition to injuries, Indonesia is also facing a flu epidemic that has caused some players to have fevers. "The players' condition is not good, some are quite serious," coach Shin Tae-yong said. "I don't know what kind of virus it is, but there are many cases in Indonesia."

Previously, PSSI confirmed that at least five players had a fever before coming to Vietnam. Therefore, the team was required to wear masks when traveling to the airport. The team also felt more comfortable when boarding a private plane chartered by PSSI to reduce travel time and limit contact with outsiders.

Indonesia practices at My Dinh secondary stadium on the evening of March 23. Photo: PSSI

Indonesia had a training session last night at My Dinh secondary stadium, mainly to recover and improve their fitness. The team will have a high-intensity training session tonight to prepare for the rematch on March 26.

Indonesia are full of confidence after beating Vietnam in two consecutive matches with the same score of 1-0. The team aims to get at least one point at My Dinh to maintain the advantage, when they have four points in Group F of the second round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, one point more than Vietnam.

Indonesia's squad also added two new quality naturalized players, Thom Haye and Ragnar Oratmagoen.

Hieu Luong

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