What is the reason that Laos team declared that they will win against Vietnam team?

According to statistics, the Lao team has met the Vietnamese team 7 times and the best result is 1 draw, the rest are all losses. In the AFF Cup, the Lao team has never passed the group stage to compete in the semi-finals, while Vietnam has entered the semi-finals 9 times in a total of 11 AFF Cups throughout history.

There are not many good players.

Currently, the Lao national team does not have many experienced players on the field because the Lao Premier League allows 5 foreign players to play. Foreign players playing in the Lao Premier League are mostly paid for by sponsors of the clubs. Lao football has experienced many ups and downs. Last year, the life ban on 20 Lao players and officials due to match-fixing by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) pushed Lao football into chaos after a series of clubs, along with financial difficulties, left the country's top league.

After the 2016 season ended, 9 clubs withdrew from the tournament. Among them was Lanexang Club, the champion of the tournament and runner-up of the 2016 Mekong Cup. Previously, Lanexang United participated in the 2016 Mekong Cup and surprisingly won the runner-up position, when they lost to Buriram in the final match (despite winning the first leg). They overcame a series of other strong opponents such as SHB Da Nang, Boeung Ket Angkor and the champion of Myanmar to advance to this final match. In Lanexang's squad, there are 5 foreign players, including players that even V-League clubs crave but cannot recruit, such as center back Evans and midfielder Kosuke Uchida.

The Lao team had a training trip in Barcelona (Spain) to prepare for the AFF Cup 2018. Photo: Internet

With the goal of having as many players as possible, in addition to the 5 remaining teams in the 2016 season, Laos promoted 3 clubs from the lower division to organize the 2017 Lao Premier League with 8 participating teams. The runner-up of the 2016 season, Lao Toyota, won the Lao championship. Lao Toyota officially represents Lao clubs to compete in the 2018 AFC Cup. Of course, the Lao national team has many players from this club, which was established in 2013.

In the past 4 years, Lao Toyota has won 3 championships and 2 runner-ups. Lao Toyota won the 2015 and 2017 Lao Premier League, won the 2014 Lao National Cup, and finished 2 runner-ups in 2014 and 2016. It can be seen that since its establishment, playing in the Lao First Division and being promoted in 2014, Lao Toyota has become a formidable force in the Land of a Million Elephants.

Lao Toyota Club has quite a few Japanese players, as they signed contracts with 7 Japanese players and 1 player from Africa. Lao players such as goalkeeper Chintana Souksavath, 28 years old, midfielder Phatthana Syvilay, 28 years old, who are regular starters at the club, have become pillars of the national team. Together with Keoviengphet Liththideth, 26 years old (Ezra FC), Sopha Saysana, 26 years old (Nong Khai FC), they have become the core players of the Lao team.

With only about 60-70 players regularly playing in the Lao Premier League, coach Varadaraju Sundramoorthy does not have many personnel options for the Lao team. Not to mention that the Lao Premier League is difficult to compare with the quality of the V-League, which has a history of 18 years.

Waiting for luck

In 7 confrontations, the Laos team only got 1 draw. Photo: Internet

Before the match with the Vietnamese team, coach Varadaraju Sundramoorthy highly appreciated the team of coach Park Hang Seo and the Malaysian team in Group A. However, this strategist affirmed that in football anything can happen and the Lao team will be a tough opponent for any opponent: "Honestly, having to be in a group with both Vietnam and Malaysia is extremely difficult. But I believe that in football, anything can happen. We have prepared to have a good performance against Vietnam. If the fans support us wholeheartedly, Laos will be a tough opponent for any opponent."

Coach Sundramoorthy himself has faced Vietnam both as a player and as a coach of Singapore. He has led the Singapore team twice, the second time lasting two years, from 2016 to 2018. Two years ago, the Singapore team under his guidance had a friendly match with the Vietnam team and drew 0-0.

We cannot be complacent, but victory over the Laos team is something we are all looking forward to!