Asian Cup 2019 Qualifiers: What are the chances for the Vietnam team?

(Baonghean.vn) - The Vietnamese team is in Group C with similar opponents Cambodia, Afghanistan and Jordan. Experts say the Vietnamese team has a great chance of making it to the Asian Cup finals.

There are 24 teams participating in the final qualifying round, Asian Cup 2019. These teams are divided into 6 groups, each group has 4 teams, playing 2 round-robin matches in each group. Accordingly, the 2 leading teams in each group will enter the final round, along with 12 teams that have already qualified directly (ie 12 teams playing the final qualifying round of World Cup 2018 - Asia region).

West Asian team Jordan is considered the strongest in group C. Photo: Internet.

With the above format, along with being in a fairly easy group, including Cambodia, Afghanistan and Jordan, the Vietnamese team has a lot of opportunities to enter the Asian Cup finals. In this group, Jordan is considered the strongest team, because they come from the West Asian region with a strong football tradition.

Of course, it cannot be compared with the top teams of Saudi Arabia, Iran, or even Qatar, Kuwait. Looking at the way they crushed Cambodia 7-0, we can see that to get 11 points at home, Coach Nguyen Huu Thang must have many problems to solve.

Of course, Cambodia is the lowest rated team, this team has never been rated on par with the Vietnam team. Afghanistan was initially considered an unknown, but through the match with the Vietnam team in March this year, the Central Asian team showed that they are not too special, especially in terms of technique and tactics (coach Nguyen Huu Thang's team shared points in the above match mainly due to some mistakes).

Cong Phuong competed with Jordanian players at the 2016 AFC U23 Championship. Photo: Internet.

Second in the group, the Vietnamese team still has many chances to enter the 2019 Asian Cup finals, because the other two opponents, Cambodia and Afghanistan, are both weak.

The mystery of Afghanistan after the 1-1 draw with the Vietnamese team in March this year has been solved. This Central Asian team has nothing special, especially in terms of technique and tactics. If we can overcome some weaknesses, we have a chance to win the return leg. Cambodia is of course the lowest ranked team in the group. This is an opportunity for the Vietnamese team to have 6 points after two home and away matches. We may not be able to win as big as Jordan, but up to now, Cambodia has never been considered an opponent on par with us.

The first round of the qualifying round shows that coach Nguyen Huu Thang's team can completely take the initiative in Group C, the Asian qualifiers. If we show our desire to go deep into the Asian finals, we can completely put pressure on our opponents. First, we have to deal with the difficult opponent Jordan before thinking about the next steps./.

AT