Coach Kim Sang-sik is determined to beat the Philippines to soon win a ticket to the ASEAN Cup semi-finals.

On the morning of December 17, the press conference before the confrontation betweenVietnam team and the Philippines have taken place. With 6 points after 2 matches, Kim Sang-sik and his team only need to win against the Philippines to be sure to enter the semi-finals as group winners, and have a wide path to prepare their forces for the final round.

"Although the schedule is difficult, we are very hopeful. We have not lost in the group stage, and will try to win to enter the semi-finals soon. We are really ready and well prepared for tomorrow's match."

Previously, under the guidance of coach Kim Sang-sik, the Vietnamese team won 3-2 against the Philippines in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. Although the two sides have differences in preparation and strength, he believes that Vietnam can completely repeat the same result. The important thing for the Korean coach at this time is to help the players maintain confidence and find appropriate tactics.

"In the previous match, we only had 1 month to prepare. At that time, the time was too short, it was not easy for us to synthesize information and help improve the team. But now, we have all the necessary elements," the Korean strategist shared.

Yesterday afternoon, the team arrived in Manila. During the evening practice session on the artificial turf field of Rizal Memorial, five key players, Nguyen Tien Linh, Nguyen Thanh Chung, Bui Tien Dung, Nguyen Hai Long and Ho Tan Tai, suffered minor injuries. However, it is likely that the players will recover in time.

According toCoach Kim Sang-sikThe artificial pitch will not be difficult for Vietnam because the players have experience in competing, and the team has also practiced in similar conditions during the training trip to Korea. He and the coaching staff will remind the players more so that they know how to compete properly.

Hai Hoang