Vietnam's Olympic team and gifts to celebrate National Day.

Exactly 11 years ago at the 2007 Asian Cup, Huynh Quang Thanh and Le Cong Vinh, wearing the Vietnamese national team jersey under the guidance of coach Riedl, defeated the UAE 2-0 right on My Dinh Stadium.

At the U.23 level, two years ago, the young Vietnamese players played very well, leading 2-1 thanks to goals from Cong Phuong and Tuan Anh, before losing 2-3. That was the final group stage match of the 2016 AFC U.23 Championship in Qatar.

The opponent is superior.

In terms of performance at the Asian Games, the UAE Olympic team has a slight edge over the Vietnam Olympic team. They were the runners-up at the 2010 Asian Games (after losing to Japan) and have reached the quarter-finals four times, playing in a style essentially no different from the Bahrain or Syria Olympic teams, opponents we recently defeated.

Over the past two years, while Vietnamese youth football has made considerable progress, the UAE Olympic team has stagnated, and Polish coach Maciej Skorza was brought in to lead the team more than a year ago.

In the 2018 AFC U-23 Asian Cup qualifiers, despite being the host nation, the UAE finished second behind Uzbekistan U-23 and failed to qualify for the AFC U-23 Asian Cup finals held in Changzhou (China) earlier this year – a tournament where Vietnam U-23 impressively finished as runners-up.

All the Vietnamese Olympic players are ready. Photo: Internet

In this year's Asian Games group stage, the UAE Olympic team only added two players over 23 years old: defender Salem Sultan (25 years old) and forward Mohammed Khalvan (25 years old). The 46-year-old coach's target is the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, so the 2018 Asian Games was merely a learning experience for the young players. But facing the opportunity for a medal, coach Maciej Skorza frankly declared: "When we're so close to the final, such a defeat is unacceptable. However, we still have the motivation to compete. The goal of the UAE U23 team is to win a medal at the Asian Games."

Most likely, Maciej Skorza will not field seven U21 players like in the match against Japan, but will instead field his key players for the crucial match against Vietnam. Most notably, striker Zayed Al-Ameri has scored four goals, including two against Timor Leste and a brace against Indonesia in the round of 16. It's easy to predict that the young UAE players will play an aggressive, physically strong game with high speed and a very disruptive style of play. Coach Maciej Skorza is well aware that the Vietnamese Olympic team has expended a lot of energy after their two previous matches.

Asian experts and bookmakers are still offering slightly higher odds for the UAE Olympic team because they believe the Vietnamese Olympic team will reach their peak form in the match against the Syrian Olympic team.

Favorable timing, advantageous location, and harmonious human relations.

Minh Vương deserved to start after his spectacular goal against South Korea. Photo: Internet

Flights to Indonesia carrying fans to support the Vietnamese Olympic team have been arriving in quick succession. A celebratory ceremony and well-deserved rewards have been prepared at My Dinh Stadium. Coach Park and the coaching staff have also given the Vietnamese Olympic players time to rest and recover before the final decisive match.

Vietnamese football has changed dramatically since the arrival of coach Park Hang Seo. The Vietnam U23 team defeated Thailand on Thai soil, finished as runners-up in the U23 Asian Championship, won the Four Nations Cup, and reached the semi-finals of the 18th Asian Games. These are remarkable achievements, and we are just one match away from making history for Vietnamese football. Everything is ready for a victory within reach! The players will take to the field on the occasion of the national day, eager to give a gift of gratitude to the fans.

No one can accurately predict Park Hang Seo's starting lineup, except for the possibility of Van Hau returning after his suspension. It's also likely that Minh Vuong, riding on the momentum from his spectacular goal against South Korea, will be given a chance to play. With a seasoned coach who knows how to motivate players through psychological tactics like Park, it's quite possible that Duc Huy, or even Xuan Truong, could still feature.

Coach Park Hang Seo's approach to player selection at this year's Asian Games is worth learning from for Vietnamese coaches. Compared to the U23 Asian Championship earlier this year, he has used more than two players. Of the 20 players who traveled to Indonesia this time, only Van Loi and goalkeeper Van Hoang haven't played yet, and the players who did play performed quite well.