UAE - Vietnam match: Fateful confrontations

This is a match where UAE coach Bert van Marwijk has no reason to change the 4-2-3-1 strategy that has brought him 3 wins with 12 goals scored and only 1 goal conceded. Meanwhile, still playing with a 3-defender formation, but surely coach Park Hang-seo will have to adjust many formations in the midfield to create stability for the Vietnamese team, not allowing the opponent to play aggressively.

Que Ngoc Hai - Ali Mabkhout:Captain and central defender Que Ngoc Hai will face the biggest challenge in the second qualifying round of the 2022 World Cup when the number 7 of the home team will enter the field. In the match at My Dinh Stadium on November 14, the UAE team was without number 1 striker Ali Mabkhout due to a penalty card. At that time, I still remember the UAE press lamenting: "Currently, in the UAE team, there is no player capable enough to replace Ali Mabkhout to score against Vietnam". In fact, the match took place like that, due to receiving an early red card and playing with one less player, the UAE lost 1-0 to the host Vietnam in a very disappointing way.

Que Ngoc Hai - Ali Mabkhout. Who will win?.

More than anyone else, 30-year-old striker Ali Mabkhout, the UAE's current number one scorer and also the best scorer in the country's football history with 59 goals in 82 matches for the UAE team from 2009 to present, wants to get his debt back.

The star who plays for Al Jazira Club, the UAE national champion, is in very impressive form, scoring a double in the last 2 matches for the England team. This number 7 plays as a striker in a 4-2-3-1 formation but moves very wide, ready to hold the ball and charge straight into the 16.5m box. Ali Mabkhout can shoot with both feet at any distance, any position and has a flying header like Anh Duc. This is the style of play thatQue Ngoc Haireally need the support of teammates, especially at the end of the match, physical strength is reduced.

Watching UAE play, we noticed that coach Bert van Marwijk rarely made all 5 substitutions, it was not until the match against Indonesia that the Dutch coach used the "physical torture" tactic on the Indonesian players. It seems that he is putting a lot of faith in Ali Mabkhout as his number 1 striker and of course Que Ngoc Hai also clearly understands his mission.

Tien Linh - Abbas:In the UAE team's defense, Mr. Bert van Marwijk only kept 36-year-old captain Abbas, after the defeat at My Dinh Stadium. This veteran has spent 13 years fighting in the UAE National Championship for Al Ahabab and Ahabab Al Ahli is considered a defender with an energetic playing style.

In the first leg, Walid Abbas wore the number 3 shirt and captain's armband and was considered to have completed his task very well, except for the situation where he letTien Linhscored at the end of the first half. To be fair, even when Al Hammadi (12) was red carded in the 37th minute, the away team UAE still did not lose control of the game. With better physique and fitness, the UAE players still created an overwhelming style of play based on good technique.

Waiting for Tien Linh to get past center back Walid Abbas.

Center back Walid Abbas has been good at marking Cong Phuong and Van Toan, players with difficult technical playing styles, but failed against Tien Linh, a striker who plays much simpler. This made Walid Abbas even more determined to block the way to the goal of the Vietnamese team in the final match of Group G. In fact, the 4-man defense under the command of Walid Abbas played very well, they only conceded 1 goal in the match against Thailand.

This is a match where coach Bert van Marwijk and the home team UAE must win against the Vietnamese team. Many Vietnamese players such as Van Lam, Tuan Anh, Hung Dung could not play for many reasons, but it still promises to be an exciting match. In your opinion, will Ali Mabkhout or Tien Linh shine?