Strength assessment of U23 Vietnam vs U23 Philippines: Vietnam is the upper hand

Team strength of U23 Vietnam vs U23 Philippines

U23 Vietnam entered the semi-finals with almost full strength. Although some key players showed signs of minor injuries, coach Kim Sang Sik still had enough personnel to deploy a proactive style of play with the strongest lineup. The core of U23 Vietnam are players with rich international experience such as Dinh Bac, Van Khang, Quoc Viet and Van Truong. They are not only rich in speed and technique but also have the ability to organize and change state very well. The defense of the red team is also operating stably, with the presence of Trung Kien and Hieu Minh - who have the ability to read situations and make good judgments.

On the contrary, U23 Philippines does not possess a star-studded squad but impresses with its uniformity and cohesion in tactical operations. Their squad tends towards defensive counter-attacks, with Guimaraes’ solidity in goal, Taningco’s ability to compete in midfield and the explosive speed of striker Bisong – who is a formidable spearhead in counter-attacks. Cohesion and fighting spirit are the strongest points of U23 Philippines, helping them create surprises against stronger opponents.

Compare the performance of U23 Vietnam vs U23 Philippines

The performance of U23 Vietnam is generally stable when winning both group stage matches and leading Group B. However, the performance of coach Kim Sang Sik and his team against U23 Cambodia was not really convincing. Despite winning 2-1, U23 Vietnam encountered many difficulties against the opponent's pressing and fearless style of play. The organization in the attack is not high, the coordination in the middle is still deadlocked and depends a lot on individuals like Dinh Bac or Quoc Viet. This is a big problem if they do not improve against an opponent with very good counter-attacking ability like the Philippines.

For their part, U23 Philippines created a surprise when they passed the group stage as the second place in Group A, including an impressive 2-0 victory over U23 Malaysia. They won 3 out of the last 5 matches, achieving a winning rate of 60% - equal to U23 Vietnam. Although they did not score many goals, this team was very effective in taking advantage of opportunities. Coach Dominic Gallares' students played with high discipline and were not afraid to play defensively in large numbers to wait for opportunities. This made them an extremely difficult opponent for any team, including the championship candidates.

The confrontation between U23 Vietnam and U23 Philippines promises to be a tense match between a team that controls the game well, and a master of counterattacks. Although U23 Vietnam is considered to be better in terms of squad quality and experience, if they do not improve their speed and play style, they could face difficulties against a disciplined Philippines team that is ready to punish any mistake.