Identifying Vietnam's opponents in the 2019 Asian Cup

Iran national team

The most notable name in the group that includes the Vietnamese national team is the team currently ranked number 1 in Asia according to the FIFA rankings. According to the preliminary list of 21 Iranian players for the 2019 Asian Cup, recently announced by coach Carlos Queiroz, 11 of them previously played in the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

Given their experience, strength, and composure, it's not surprising that the Iranian national team aims to top Group D and win the championship in this tournament.

The Iranian national team is currently ranked number 1 in Asia. Photo: Internet

The most notable absence from this list is Karim Ansarifard, who scored against Portugal at the 2018 World Cup. However, this is only a preliminary list, and it is entirely possible that coach Carlos Queiroz may add or remove players before the tournament begins.

Iraq national team

When mentioning the Iraqi national team and the Asian Cup, Vietnamese fans cannot forget the 2007 Asian-level tournament for national teams. That year, the Vietnamese national team, under the guidance of coach Alfred Riedl, unexpectedly secured second place behind Japan at the end of the group stage.

Entering the quarter-finals, facing the reigning champions of the 2007 Asian Cup, Iraq, the Vietnamese national team suffered a defeat with two goals conceded by their captain, Younis Mahmoud. Since Younis Mahmoud retired in 2016, the Iraqi national team has also declined sharply and is currently ranked 88th in the FIFA rankings, only 12 places higher than Vietnam.

Also in the quarter-finals, but at the U23 Asian Championship held earlier this year, the Vietnam U23 team, with many players who will participate in this year's Asian Cup, dramatically overcame the Iraq U23 team. The brightest star of the Iraqi national team currently is still left-back Ali Adnan, who plays in Italy for Atalanta.

Ali Adnan is currently the brightest star in Iraqi football. Photo: Getty

However, at the age of 25, Ali Adnan is showing signs of stagnation. This season in Serie A, Adnan has only played in a mere 3 matches. His last appearance was in September, and in Atalanta's last 9 Serie A games, Adnan has been on the bench.

If they beat or even draw with Iraq in their opening match, Coach Park Hang-seo's team can certainly dream of finishing second in the group stage.

Yemen national team

With the presence of two strong opponents, Iran and Iraq, along with a Vietnamese team that has made remarkable progress recently, Yemen must aim to advance as the best third-placed team. In this training camp, the Yemen national team has summoned all 23 of its best players, including 10 players currently playing in the national leagues of Qatar (8), Oman (1) and Brazil (1).

The Yemen national team has called up its best players for the Asian Cup. Photo: Internet

In this list, the oldest is goalkeeper Salem Saeed (34 years old), while the youngest is Ahmed Abdulhakim Al-Sarori (20 years old). Interestingly, at the upcoming Asian Cup 2019, Yemen only has one player under the age of 23, with the rest being 24 years old or older. Their average age in this tournament is 28.7 years old.

Another noteworthy detail regarding coach Jan Kocian is that he is quite famous and very experienced. In the past, the 60-year-old coach led the Slovakian national team from 2006 to 2008.

Given the current squad and information about the opponents, if the Vietnamese national team maintains its form from previous tournaments, along with skillful coaching and the enthusiasm of a young squad, hopefully they will secure second or third place (the best possible result) after the group stage to qualify for the next round.