Arab media advises Iraq to be careful of Vietnam's trap

According to the Arab newspaper Winwin, the big win against Indonesia could be a trap, making Iraq mistakenly think it would crush Vietnam in the second round of Group F of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.

"The problem with Iraq is that the players may be overconfident when entering the match against Vietnam, after crushing Indonesia," wrote author Salam Al-Manaseer on Winwin . "Because Vietnam is completely different from Indonesia, thanks to its more organized and offensive style of play. The victory over Indonesia could be a trap for Iraq."

Iraqi player Ali Jassim (left) practices getting used to My Dinh Stadium, Hanoi on the evening of November 20, 2023. Photo: Hieu Luong — Iraqi player Ali Jassim (left) practices getting used to My Dinh Stadium, Hanoi on the evening of November 20, 2023. Photo: *Hieu Luong*

Al-Manaseer advised coach Jesus Casas to change his tactics at My Dinh, by focusing more on defense. "Iraq needs to hold out through the first few minutes before thinking about attacking," the article said.

Iraq beat Indonesia 5-1 in Basra in their opening Group F match, while Vietnam beat the Philippines 2-0 in Manila. According to FIFA rankings, Vietnam are 51 places above Indonesia, while Iraq are 26 places above Philippe Troussier's men. Today's match at My Dinh will determine who tops the group until March 2024, when the next two matches will take place.

Coach Casas also praised Vietnam's organized play before the match. Al Arab newspaper quoted the Spanish coach as saying that the home team's strength is "the ability to develop the ball from the bottom up, in addition to the players' technique".

The "trap" mentioned by Al-Manaseer is just one of three challenges Iraq will face in Hanoi. The Arab newspaper's journalist also said that the weather and Iraq's weak defense will also be problems for the visitors.

Although the Iraqi players and coach said the weather in Hanoi was not a problem, their media were still concerned. The daytime temperature in Hanoi today is around 27 to 28 degrees Celsius, and in the evening and at night it can drop to 17 to 18 degrees. Hanoi is therefore warmer today than Baghdad, where the Iraqi capital is around 13 degrees Celsius.

In defense, Iraq is missing 1.88m tall center back Saad Natiq due to injury. The player has eight years of experience with the national team, and is usually a starter. With Natiq absent, coach Casas has had to push left back Ali Adnan into the middle to play as a center back. Iraq's patchwork defense could be their weak point in this match.

Hoang An

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