Dream of Vietnamese football catching up with Korea and Japan

"We dream of a day when Vietnamese football develops rapidly to catch up with leading Asian football teams like Korea and Japan," said central defender Do Duy Manh at a press conference before the match between Vietnam and Korea. This is a rare occasion for him and his teammates to face a world-class team in a friendly match at the national team level.

Compared to its opponents, the Vietnamese team is inferior in many aspects. The Korean team is ranked 26th in the FIFA rankings, while the Vietnamese team is ranked 95th.

Playing at home, the Korean team has all the best stars in this training session. Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich), Hwang Hee-chan (Wolverhampton), Lee Kang-in (PSG)... are all present. Son Heung-min is also on the list, but is uncertain to play due to injury. However, the Korean team's strength is still completely superior to the Vietnamese team.

"Not only me but all the players of the Vietnamese team are confident and proud to face Korea. We are here to represent the country. Although it is a friendly match, it also brings valuable experience.

The Korean team has many players playing in Europe. They have a quality squad. We hope that one day soon the Vietnamese team will participate in the World Cup. To do this, all players must try their best," Duy Manh said.

The match between Vietnam and South Korea will take place at 6pm tomorrow (October 17). The Vietnamese team will not have its strongest squad because Nguyen Quang Hai and Que Ngoc Hai are injured, and Nguyen Tien Linh is banned from playing. In defense, in addition to Duy Manh, coach Troussier also has Bui Hoang Viet Anh, Phan Tuan Tai, and Nguyen Thanh Binh who can take on the central defender positions.

Meanwhile, the Korean team is not sure about the service of star Son Heung-min. The Tottenham striker suffered a minor injury before joining the Korean team. He did not play a single minute in the victory over Tunisia a few days ago.

Coach Jurgen Klinsmann said: "Son Heung-min may not play tomorrow night. We have to check the physical condition of Son Heung-min and Hwang In-beom in the official training session this afternoon before deciding whether they will play in the match against Vietnam or not."

Phuong Mai

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