Assessing the strength of Vietnam and Cambodia: The away team is too weak

The upcoming friendly match between Vietnam and Cambodia at Go Dau Stadium is not only an opportunity for coach Kim Sang-sik and his team to prepare for the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers, but also an opportunity to evaluate the strength of the two teams. While Vietnam enters the match as the reigning 2024 AFF Cup champions, Cambodia is also striving to improve its football and demonstrate its progress.

Strength of Vietnam team

With impressive performance in recent times, the Vietnamese team is highly appreciated before this confrontation. In the last 5 matches, coach Kim Sang-sik and his team won all, scoring 15 goals and conceding only 4. Two consecutive victories against Thailand in the final of the AFF Cup 2024 showed the stability and bravery of the team.

Vietnam also has a big advantage as they have had a week of training in Binh Duong to adapt to the competition conditions. Importantly, the squad has no significant injuries, giving coach Kim Sang-sik plenty of tactical options. Under the guidance of the Korean strategist, the team's playing style has been increasingly perfected, with solid defense and sharp attack.

Although this is just a friendly match, with the position of AFF Cup champion, our team not only aims for victory but also has to show convincing play, creating peace of mind for fans before the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers.

Cambodia team squad strength

Cambodia entered the match with great ambition, calling up their strongest squad of 23 players. Among them, they have some notable naturalized players such as Kanmo, Takaki Ose, Abdel Kader Coulibaly, Yudai Ogawa and Nick Taylor. However, they are missing key Japanese-born centre-back Hikaru Mizuno, which could affect the solidity of the back line.

Despite the reinforcements, Cambodia’s recent form has not been impressive. In their last 5 matches, they have only won 1 match against Timor Leste, lost to Thailand, U23 Qatar, Singapore and drawn with Malaysia. The team from the land of pagodas has made progress in the past few years, but still cannot compete on equal terms with the top teams in Southeast Asia.

At the AFF Cup 2024, Cambodia only ranked 4th in Group A, showing that they still have many weaknesses, especially in defense. Facing a Vietnamese team with high performance and home field advantage, Cambodia will face many difficulties in this match.

Pre-match review

Considering all factors from history of confrontation, form, to squad quality, the Vietnamese team is far superior to Cambodia. Our team has won all 5 recent confrontations, scoring a total of 16 goals and only conceding 2. Meanwhile, Cambodia is still in the process of development and is not strong enough to create surprises against strong teams in the region.

This match is not only an opportunity for Vietnam to assert its strength, but also an important test for coach Kim Sang-sik and his team to prepare for the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers. The important thing is not only to win, but also how the team demonstrates the playing style and mettle of the Southeast Asian champions. With home field advantage and careful preparation, Vietnam can absolutely aim for a convincing victory against Cambodia.