Vietnam national team has no defensive midfielder in the match against Malaysia?

This afternoon (November 14), at the secondary field, Coach Park Hang-seo and his team entered a rather important training session, preparing for the match against Malaysia in the group stage of the AFF Cup 2018. The Korean strategist decided to hide his plan until the last minute. Reporters were only allowed to work for 20 minutes while the players warmed up.

Midfielder Huy Hung will definitely miss the match against Malaysia. Photo: Trung Kien

During this training session, midfielder Van Quyet practiced with his teammates. However, midfielder Nguyen Huy Hung still had to practice separately with the doctor outside the field. The Quang Nam player suffered a muscle strain and will definitely not recover in time to play against Malaysia.

Thus, when welcoming the opponent at My Dinh Stadium, Coach Park Hang-seo will most likely arrange a team without a real defensive midfielder. In the 3-0 victory over Laos, Ngoc Hai, Dinh Trong and Duy Manh were the three central defenders of the Vietnam National Team. Meanwhile, Quang Hai and Xuan Truong were the two central midfielders.

Coach Park Hang-seo's mood during today's training session. Photo: Trung Kien

Midfielder Luong Xuan Truong will likely have to sit on the bench. Photo: Trung Kien

Against a team with a physical style of play and good pressing like Malaysia, the absence of Huy Hung is a very regrettable thing for the Vietnam team. However, in case of an impossible situation, Van Quyet or Hung Dung may be the player to play as a central midfielder like at the 2018 Asiad.

In an interview today, midfielder Van Toan shared: "The Malaysian players have good physical strength. I am especially impressed with striker Tahala. He is a veteran but still has good physical strength and a lot of experience. In addition, captain Zaquan Adha is also a dangerous player. The Malaysian winger duo has shown that they are high-quality players. Malaysia is really dangerous with attacks from both wings. The Vietnamese team must pay special attention to these players. But I believe coach Park Hang-seo will know how to help the team get good results."

This afternoon, the Malaysian team also arrived in Vietnam after a hard-fought victory over Laos. Currently, the Vietnamese team has 3 points and if they win, Coach Park Hang-seo and his team can take the top spot from their opponents.

The Asian Football Confederation has appointed Saudi Arabian FIFA referee Turki Mohamed A.Alkhudayr to officiate the match at 7:30 p.m. at My Dinh Stadium. The two assistant referees are Poonsawat Samransuk and Komsan Kampan - both Thai. The fourth referee is Filipino - Steve Supresencia.

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