U.23 Malaysia at a disadvantage
U.23 Malaysia is the most likely opponent (among the Southeast Asian teams participating in the U.23 Asian tournament) that U.23 Vietnam can think of winning.
The first reason lies in the head-to-head record. In the last 12 meetings in all competitions, U.23 Vietnam won 8, drew 1, and lost only 3 matches against U.23 Malaysia. In the last 5 matches, U.23 Vietnam won all matches against its opponents. Less than a year ago, U.23 Vietnam under coach Hoang Anh Tuan "swept away" U.23 Malaysia with a score of 4-1 in the semi-finals of the U.23 Southeast Asia, with a fast and varied attacking style of play.
U.23 Malaysia lost to U.23 Vietnam in the last 5 encounters
At the 2024 AFC U-23 Championship, Malaysia U-23 is also at a disadvantage when missing a series of key players such as goalkeeper Rahadiazli Rahalim, defender Azam Azmi, Vengadesan Ruventhiran, midfielder Richard Chin and most recently attacking midfielder Aiman Afif. Of which, Afif was injured in a friendly match against Qatar U-23 (Malaysia U-23 lost 0-1), not sure to participate in the final round.
"Aiman Afif is injured and we have to check the extent of his injury. There are some other players who are also recovering from minor injuries," coach Juan Torres Garrido shared.
Excluding Aiman Afif, the U.23 Malaysia squad only had two players, Nooah Laine and Harith Haiqal, in the Malaysian national team during the most recent training session (against Oman in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers). Of these, Nooah Laine played four matches, while Harith has yet to make his debut for the Malaysian national team.
Coach Garrido himself is also unfamiliar with Asian football. The Spanish strategist is highly regarded for his expertise with 4 years as a scout for FC Barcelona (2016 - 2020), then 1 year working at Granada's youth academy.
U.23 Malaysia (black shirt) has 4 test matches before the U.23 Asia final round
However, this is the first time Mr. Garrido has coached a youth team in Asia. The ability to adapt, face pressure or motivate his students is still a question mark.
Be careful
In the youth arena, all predictions are relative. U.23 Vietnam probably understands the good better than any other team.
In 2018, although not highly rated, Coach Park Hang-seo's team overcame very strong opponents such as U.23 Qatar, U.23 Iraq, U.23 Australia or U.23 Syria to win the final runner-up position.
4 years later, U.23 Vietnam held U.23 Korea to a draw and won a ticket to the quarter-finals. The patchwork squad with players who were playing in the "big sea" for the first time such as Khuat Van Khang and Nguyen Van Truong played very impressively against the stronger teams.
Therefore, although U.23 Vietnam is rated higher, coach Hoang Anh Tuan still carefully analyzes the tactics, personnel and playing style of U.23 Malaysia.
Coach Hoang Anh Tuan and his students carefully analyze each opponent.
U.23 Malaysia lost to U.23 Vietnam 1-4 (semi-final of U.23 Southeast Asia 2023) and 0-2 (group stage of U.23 Asia 2022) in the last 2 meetings. However, the team nicknamed "Tiger" is transforming in a positive direction.
Having assembled the squad since March, U.23 Malaysia has played 4 matches during training trips in India and China, with the results of 1 win, 1 draw, and 2 losses. Coach Garrido and his team won and drew with U.23 India in the match, after losing 1-2 to U.23 China.
In the final rehearsal before the tournament, U.23 Malaysia lost 0-1 to U.23 Qatar. This was an acceptable score, in a match where Mr. Garrido tested the entire force. Playing friendly matches continuously helps U.23 Malaysia test their tactics and increase the players' confidence.
Finally, in a group where all the other teams except U.23 Uzbekistan have a chance to enter the quarterfinals, U.23 Malaysia will fight to the end to hold on to hope. Against an opponent with a passionate and technical playing style, U.23 Vietnam needs to keep a "cool" head and know themselves and their opponents.
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