Vietnam Olympic Team vs. Indonesia Olympic Team: More than just a friendly match

The match against an equally matched opponent at My Dinh Stadium on the afternoon of March 9th will very likely help coach Toshiay Miura finalize the squad in preparation for the U23 Asian Cup qualifiers and the 28th SEA Games.

After a month of training, physical conditioning, and getting to know each other as well as the coach, the Vietnamese Olympic team is basically ready to enter the final preparation phase for the two biggest tournaments of the year.

Cong Phuong, Tien Dung, and their teammates are ready for the testing and finalization of the Vietnamese Olympic team's lineup. Photo: Lam Thoa.

The 3-1 victory in the training match against Hanoi T&T showed that Coach Miura's team is in good form and has an impressive physical fitness level thanks to the training exercises implemented by the Japanese strategist.

In the defense, alongside national team players Thanh Hien and Ngoc Hai, the remaining two positions will most likely be filled by Bui Tien Dung and Le Duc Luong, stars promoted from the Vietnam U19 team that caused a sensation last year.

In attack, Cong Phuong, the owner of the solo run that sealed the victory against Hanoi T&T, will almost certainly be a starter alongside his familiar partner from the Vietnam U19 team and Hoang Anh Gia Lai, Van Toan, or the talented Ho Tuan Tai from the Song Lam Nghe An academy. Midfield is perhaps where Coach Miura faces the most headaches, as injuries have deprived him of his quality option Xuan Truong, while only Huy Toan has made a positive impression among the others.

Today's friendly matches against Indonesia and the upcoming match against Uzbekistan promise to be a good opportunity for Coach Miura to review his personnel options for the midfield area, and this is also expected to be a major priority for him in the preparation process, alongside honing tactical skills in preparation for the U23 Asian Championship qualifiers.

On the Indonesian Olympic team's side, having started training earlier, they have almost completed their preparations, and coach Aji Santoso is not in a passive position regarding personnel like his counterpart on the host side. The Indonesian Olympic team also has an advantage in terms of experience, as all of their members are players who have competed in the national championship for many years.

The generation of players like Cong Phuong and Tuan Anh from the Vietnamese Olympic team had previously faced and won three times against their Indonesian Olympic opponents at the U19 level in 2013 and 2014. Photo: Duc Dong.

The Indonesian players also have great motivation going into today's match, because their leading players such as midfielder Evan Dimas, striker Ilham Udin... have lost more often than they have won against Cong Phuong, Tuan Anh, and Van Toan in their encounters at the U19 level last year.

Specifically, while playing for the Indonesian U19 team, Dimas, Udin, and their teammates lost to the Vietnamese U19 team in the group stage of the 2013 Southeast Asian Championship with a score of 1-2 and 1-3 in the U22 Southeast Asian Championship in Brunei. The only time they enjoyed victory against the likes of Xuan Truong, Tuan Anh, etc., was when they won the final of the 2013 Southeast Asian U19 Championship, thanks to a penalty shootout.

Expected starting lineup:

Vietnam Olympic team: Van Tien - Thanh Hien, Ngoc Hai, Tien Dung, Duc Luong - Van Thang, Duy Manh, Tuan Anh, Vo Huy Toan - Cong Phuong, Le Thanh Binh

Indonesian Olympics:Teguh Amiruddin - Yama Pranata, Lestusen. Rendika Rama, Juni Antara - Sitanggang, Evan Dimas, Adi Bayauw, Pebriyanto - Udin Armaiyn, Manuel Sibi.

According to VnExpress