Test before the 2019 Asian Cup qualifiers

(Baonghean.vn) - The Vietnamese national team will travel to a neutral venue in Tajikistan to prepare for their 2019 Asian Cup qualifying match against Afghanistan on the evening of March 28th. The friendly match against Taiwan on March 22nd will be a test for the players.

On March 20th, all 23 players of the Vietnamese national team will gather in Hanoi. After two days of training, on the evening of March 22nd, the Vietnamese players will face the Taiwanese national team at Hang Day Stadium. It is understood that the visiting team also considers this a warm-up before their match against Turkmenistan at home.

Taiwan has made several changes to their squad compared to the match against Vietnam nearly a year ago. Photo: Internet

According to experts, Taiwan is not a strong team, despite numerous changes in both their coaching staff and players. The most recent encounter between the two teams was in the 2018 World Cup qualifiers. At that time, the Vietnamese national team won both matches: the first leg (September 8, 2015) 2-1; and the second leg (March 24, 2016) 4-1.

Recently, the Taiwan Football Association invited Japanese coach Kazuo Kuroda to lead the national team. The Japanese coach has revamped the team by calling up 17 new faces, compared to the match against Vietnam a year ago.

Among the eight players who participated in both matches against the Vietnamese national team in the 2018 World Cup qualifiers, the most notable is striker Wu Chun-Chinh - the scorer of both goals against Vietnam in those two matches.

By rejuvenating the squad, Coach Huu Thang is planning for the long term for the Vietnamese national team. Photo: Internet

Although it was only a friendly match, Japanese coach Kazuo Kuroda paid close attention. He brought 25 Taiwanese players to Hanoi on March 14th to train, familiarize themselves with the pitch, and prepare for this friendly match. Meanwhile, coach Huu Thang also faced considerable difficulties, having only two days to prepare, and the players having just gone through intense V-League matches. This was also the first training camp after Cong Vinh, Thanh Luong, and Dinh Luat announced their retirement, and the coaching staff needed time to assemble the team.

According to experts, due to budget constraints, the VFF's decision to hold the match at Hang Day Stadium also puts Vietnamese players at a disadvantage, given their technically oriented style of play. People are waiting to see how coach Huu Thang will organize this match without his preferred players.

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