Thailand – Vietnam Prediction (8pm today): The moment to reach the top of Southeast Asia

*The second leg of the 2024 AFF Cup final between Vietnam and Thailand will take place at 8:00 p.m. tonight, Sunday (January 5), at Rajamangala Stadium, Bangkok (Thailand). Dan Tri will report this match live.

Before the second leg of the final, the score, form and even historical factors are all leaning towards the Vietnamese team. Regarding the score, the team of coach Kim Sang Sik (Korean) is leading the opponent 2-1, after the first leg of the final at Viet Tri Stadium ( Phu Tho ), on January 2.

Nhận định Thái Lan - Việt Nam (20h hôm nay): Thời khắc lên đỉnh Đông Nam Á - 1 — The Vietnamese team is ready to conquer Thailand right at Rajamangala Stadium (Photo: Tien Tuan).

In terms of form, the Vietnamese team currently has Xuan Son, Hoang Duc, Thanh Chung, Bui Tien Dung, goalkeeper Dinh Trieu, plus Tien Linh and Quang Hai who are in very good form. They are all the best of Vietnamese football at the moment.

They are eager to defeat the Thais right on Thai soil. Therefore, this is the perfect time for us to defeat the current AFF Cup champion and take their place.

Historically, Thailand has never won the AFF Cup three times in a row. They won the tournament in 2020 and 2022. Historically, Thailand cannot be crowned this year.

Looking at history, it can be seen that Thailand has only successfully come back once out of the four times they have been behind after the first leg of the AFF Cup finals, up to the 2024 AFF Cup.

The only time Thailand successfully came back from behind was against Indonesia in 2016, a team that had never won in any of the AFF Cup finals they had participated in. The other three times, when they were behind in the first leg of the final, Thailand lost. That detail could provide the Vietnamese team with more confidence.

The Vietnamese team also defeated Thailand 2-1 in the first leg of the 2008 AFF Cup final, then we beat them 3-2 on aggregate after two matches. This time, the Vietnamese team led Thailand 2-1 after the first leg of the final, so this time we have even more confidence in the final victory.

Nhận định Thái Lan - Việt Nam (20h hôm nay): Thời khắc lên đỉnh Đông Nam Á - 2 — The Vietnamese team is ready for the moment of reaching the top of Southeast Asia (Photo: Manh Quan).

In terms of the technical aspects of the upcoming second leg final, Thailand will certainly study the playing style of the Vietnamese team. They will certainly block our striker Nguyen Xuan Son.

But on the contrary, the Vietnamese team itself probably also studied and calculated the moves that Thailand could use. They blocked Xuan Son, which also meant they would expose gaps around this striker.

At that time, the satellites around Xuan Son, such as Tien Linh and Quang Hai, can exploit those gaps, taking advantage of the opportunity to suddenly strike and defeat the reigning AFF Cup champion.

Like the first leg, the key for the Vietnamese team in the second leg of the final is to control the ball well in the midfield area.

If we cannot control the midfield, the opponent will take the opportunity to pressure the Vietnamese team, forcing them to huddle together. At that time, the Vietnamese team's defense will be in danger.

Another thing is that we must avoid conceding too early. If we concede early, the opponent will be motivated, especially when they play the second leg at home at Rajamangala in front of 52,000 home fans.

The Vietnamese team took their time to control the game, not rushing to push up their formation. Remember, Thailand is the team that wants to quickly find an equalizer in the second leg, not coach Kim Sang Sik's team.

Prediction: Draw 1-1 in the second leg, Vietnam team wins 3-2 overall