Vietnam Olympics - Indonesia Olympics: Not just a friendly match

The match with an equally matched opponent at My Dinh on the afternoon of March 9 will most likely help coach Toshiay Miura shape the framework to prepare for the U23 Asia qualifying campaign and the 28th SEA Games.

After a month of gathering, physical training and getting to know each other as well as the players and their coach, the Vietnam Olympic team is basically ready to enter the warm-up phase to prepare for the two biggest tournaments this year.

Cong Phuong, Tien Dung and teammates are ready for the testing process, finalizing the lineup of Vietnam Olympic team. Photo: Lam Thoa.

The 3-1 victory over Hanoi T&T in the practice match showed that the team under coach Miura is in good form and has an impressive physical foundation thanks to the Japanese strategist's exercises.

In defense, besides two national players Thanh Hien - Ngoc Hai, the remaining two positions will likely belong to Bui Tien Dung and Le Duc Luong, stars promoted from the U19 Vietnam team that caused a stir last year.

In attack, Cong Phuong, the owner of the solo goal that sealed the victory against Ha Noi T&T, will almost certainly have a place next to his familiar partner in U19 Vietnam and Hoang Anh Gia Lai, Van Toan or the talent of Song Lam Nghe An Ho Tuan Tai. The midfield is probably the place that gives coach Miura the biggest headache, as injuries have taken away his quality options for Xuan Truong, while of the other names, only Huy Toan has made a positive impression.

The upcoming friendly matches with Indonesia today and Uzbekistan promise to be a good opportunity for Coach Miura to review his personnel options for the midfield area and this also promises to be a big priority for him in the preparation process, in addition to training tactical aspects in preparation for the U23 Asian qualifiers.

On the Indonesian Olympic side, due to their earlier gathering, they have almost completed all the preparations and Coach Aji Santoso is not in a passive position in terms of personnel like his counterpart on the host side. The Indonesian Olympic team is also better in terms of experience, because all of their members are players who have fought for many years in the national championship.

The generation of Cong Phuong and Tuan Anh of the Vietnam Olympic team had three encounters and won more than their opponents from the Indonesian Olympic team at the U19 level in 2013 and 2014. Photo: Duc Dong.

The Indonesian players also have great motivation when entering today's match, because their leading players such as midfielder Evan Dimas, striker Ilham Udin... are losing more than winning against Cong Phuong, Tuan Anh, Van Toan in their encounters at the U19 level last year.

Specifically, while playing for Indonesia U19, Dimas, Udin and their teammates lost to Vietnam U19 in the group stage of the 2013 Southeast Asian tournament with a score of 1-2 and 1-3 in the U22 Southeast Asian tournament in Brunei. The only time they enjoyed the joy of defeating the generation of Xuan Truong, Tuan Anh... was when they won the final match of the 2013 Southeast Asian U19 tournament, thanks to a penalty shootout.

Expected starting lineup:

Vietnam Olympics: 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