Vietnam – Laos: The unknown from naturalized players

The match between Vietnam and Laos is the opening match of coach Kim Sang Sik and his team's campaign to win tickets to the 2027 Asian Cup. Therefore, Vietnam is expected to give their all in this match to win all 3 points, especially when playing at home.

The Vietnam national team had a "dress rehearsal" match with a friendly match against the Cambodian national team. Coach Kim Sang Sik used a starting lineup that did not change much compared to the 2024 ASEAN Cup, except for Xuan Son's position being absent due to injury.

Vietnam national football team did not leave much of an impression in the friendly match with Cambodia national football team (Photo: Duc Minh)

To be fair, coach Kim Sang Sik's players won but did not leave much of an impression. Especially in the second half when coach Kim Sang Sik adjusted the personnel, the Vietnamese team played lacklusterly and did not leave much of an impression. However, the result of a friendly match does not show much when the players did not give their all.

As the defending champion of the 2024 ASEAN Cup, the Vietnam national team is currently a real “unknown factor” when facing opponents in the region. In the group stage of the ASEAN Cup, although playing away, the Vietnam national team did not encounter many difficulties to win with a score of 4-1. That was also the match that Xuan Son did not play because he was not eligible to register to compete.

If he is in the best physical condition, Tien Linh is likely to remain the spearhead player in the attack. The 2024 Vietnam Golden Ball is leading the list of top scorers this season, ahead of many quality foreign players. That shows the strength of the top striker of Vietnamese football at the moment.

Vietnam national football team defeated Laos with a score of 4-1 at ASEAN Cup 2024 (Photo: Hoai Thuong)

Coach Ha Hyeok Jun of the Lao national team once commented that the Vietnamese national team has not changed much, which means that coach Kim Sang Sik will likely continue to use the same squad that made the ASEAN Cup successful in this match.

On the day of arriving in Vietnam, Coach Ka Hyeok Jun emphasized that the Laos team wanted to create a surprise in this match. Previously, in the friendly match with Sri Lanka, the Laos team did not have a good result when they lost 1-2.

Compared to the 2024 ASEAN Cup, the biggest unknown for the Lao national team is the three naturalized players including defender Victor Ngovinassack (Is-Selongey Football, France), midfielder Roman Angot (SV Linx, Germany) and striker Theo Klein (Omaha Mavericks, USA). That makes coach Kim Sang Sik and his team have to be careful as these players are all highly rated for their expertise.

Expected starting lineup of Vietnam National Team: Dinh Trieu - Bui Tien Dung, Duy Manh, Thanh Chung - Khuat Van Khang, Hoang Duc, Doan Ngoc Tan, Tien Anh - Hai Long, Tien Linh, Quang Hai

Score prediction: Vietnam 3-1 Laos

Source: https://vov.vn/the-thao/viet-nam-lao-an-so-tu-nhung-cau-thu-nhap-tich-post1163580.vov