Will Xuan Tien and Nam Hai be able to play in the Quarterfinals of the National U21 Tournament?

Check out the form of the strikers after the group stage

Before the Quarter-final match of the 2023 U21 Youth Tournament between U21 Thanh Hoa andU21 Song Lam Nghe An, the two neighboring teams have played a total of 3 friendly matches against each other. Of which, U21 Song Lam Nghe An won 1 match, drew 1 match and lost 1 match. The results of these 3 friendly matches are not the basis for assessing the actual strength of the two teams.

However, according to experts, U21 Song Lam Nghe An is still considered to be the team with better quality in terms of personnel in all lines. In particular, in the attack line, U21 Song Lam Nghe An owns many talented players. Among them, Van Bach and Xuan Dai are playing for the first team, the home team of Vinh Stadium in the V.League arena. In particular, striker Xuan Dai with his speed, technique, and ability to sweep is expected to shine in this year's season. In fact, in the second match of the group stage, the player born in 2003, although not directly scoring, made many positive contributions to the victory of the Nghe team against U21 Long An. However, in the confrontation with U21 Dak Lak, the striker from Yen Thanh suffered a hip injury, so he could not play.

According to Nghe An Newspaper, before the Quarter-final match of the 2023 National Youth U21 Tournament, Xuan Dai had recovered in time and could be registered to play from the start. Also playing at the top of the Nghe team's attack line is striker Phan Duy Hao. This player showed quite good form in the 2 matches of the group stage, when he scored 2 goals for U21 Song Lam Nghe An against U21 Long An and U21 Dak Lak.

Besides, midfielders like Quang Vinh, although only born in 2005, have shown quite outstanding ability and excellently played the role of conductor in the attack of the Nghe An team. In addition, players who are only 17 years old like Trong Son or Trong Tuan can shine when trusted.

In defense, U21 Song Lam Nghe An does not have ideal body shape central defenders, but in return Phan Ba ​​Quyen and Vo Tien Thang possess good judgment and positioning skills, so overcoming these two central defenders is not an easy task for any attack at this year's National U21 Tournament.

Predicting the ability of Song Lam Nghe An players to play

However, one issue that many fans are interested in is the ability of the Vietnamese Olympic team players who have just returned from ASIAD 19 to play. Specifically, many viewers are wondering whether Xuan Tien, Nam Hai, and Nguyen Hoang will be included in the starting lineup in the Quarterfinals by the U21 Song Lam Nghe An coaching staff.

There is no need to argue about the professional ability of the above players. Because Xuan Tien's talent has been confirmed through the process of playing in the first team of Song Lam Nghe An, and U23 Vietnam (just participated in the U23 Southeast Asia Tournament). Therefore, the presence of the midfielder born in 2003 will make the playing style of U21 Song Lam Nghe An more unpredictable and diverse. In addition, Xuan Tien is also a player who is considered to be able to turn the game around.

The second player of the Vietnam Olympic team is Nam Hai, this is a player who can play well in two positions: defensive midfielder and central defender. At the national team level, due to his ideal physique, Nam Hai is often placed in the position of central defender, but in fact, this player can also play very well in the role of anchor midfielder. He was once assigned to this position by the Coaching Board of the first team of Song Lam Nghe An in many matches in the 2023 season. The presence of Nam Hai will firmly strengthen the midfield of the U21 Nghe An team.

However, it is likely that Xuan Tien and Nam Hai will not be included in the starting lineup of U21 Song Lam Nghe An in the match against the host U21 Thanh Hoa. The reason is that these two players have just gone through extremely fierce matches at ASIAD 19. They are in a state of overload and will find it difficult to ensure the tasks set by the U21 Song Lam Nghe An coaching board. In addition, the two players mentioned above also need more training sessions to get in tune with the playing style of U21 Nghe An.

Thus, the expected starting lineup of U21 Song Lam Nghe An in the quarter-final match is as follows: Goalkeeper Van Viet; Defenders: Mai Hoang, Ba Quyen, Tien Thang, Bui Thanh Duc; Midfielders: Ngo Van Bac, Quang Vinh, Trong Son, Van Bach; Forwards: Xuan Dai, Duy Hao.

It must be affirmed that the match against U21 Thanh Hoa will be a difficult match for U21 Song Lam Nghe An. In addition to being strengthened by being the home team, U21 Thanh Hoa also has a disciplined playing style, with tight defense as the foundation. Therefore, to overcome them, U21 Song Lam Nghe An needs to be more alert in defensive situations and not be too hasty in attacks./.

Duc Anh