Vietnam target win in AFF Cup 2022 opener

The national men's football team of Vietnam in a training course before the opener of the AFF Cup 2022. (Photo: VFF)

Korean head coach Park Hang-seo said the match will be an opportunity to test out some positions in the squad.

Dang Van Lam will be the main goalkeeper in this match. The 29-year-old goalie has shown a good performance since returning to TopenLand Binh Dinh Club.

Park also gave an opportunity to "rookie" Tuan Hai. The coach also decided to add Van Quyet to the list after a long time he did not use this player. 

Vietnam won all of the last five matches against Laos, and suffered no goal, showing that Vietnamese team are stronger than their Lao rivals.

Speaking at a press conference on December 20, the coach said that he watched the two friendly matches of Laos in December under the leadership of new German head coach Michael Weiss. 

The team has only three players over 23 years old, while the rest of the squad are preparing for next year's SEA Games, he said, adding that he noticed their coach wanted to increase ball control from his players.

The coach said that the return of Phan Van Duc will make the team stronger, expressing his hope that Bui Tien Dung will recover from COVID-19 and join the team soon.

Laos is seen as the weakest team in the group with Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore and Myanmar. Therefore, its head coach Weiss has been planning to prepare for the AFF Cup 2022 for two months./. 

VNA