Vietnam’s U23 players (pictured) will be key players of the Vietnam national team at the upcoming AFF Suzuki Cup. (Photo: thethaovietnam.v) Hanoi (VNA) - The Vietnam FootballFederation (VFF), as well as Vietnamese players are confident about the drawresult of the upcoming 2018 AFF Suzuki Cup.
Vietnam are in Group A alongside Laos,Cambodia, Myanmar and Malaysia. This group is considered an easy ride for Vietnam,while the tougher Group B includes the Philippines, defending championsThailand, Singapore, Indonesia, and either Brunei or Timor-Leste.
“Vietnam will play against Laos, Cambodia,Myanmar and Malaysia. In theory, this is an advantage, but we don’t see it asan advantage. Vietnam is being subjective if they think that they can beat thefour rivals without having to put up a fight. In football, weakness andstrength are relative concepts. We improve, while our rivals also advance. Vietnamalways appreciates every rival, so we will try to play well in each game,” saidTran Quoc Tuan, Deputy Chairman of the VFF.
“In this event, the VFF aims to enter thefinal match, so if we pass the qualifying round, it doesn’t assert any thingbecause the surprise will be in semi-finals and the final,” Tuan added.
General Secretary of VFF Le Hoai Anh saidthat in the two recent AFF events, Vietnam was defeated in the semi-finals, sothis year they will aim to reach for the final.
An exciting new format is being used forthe first time this year that will see each team play two games at home and twogames away in the group stages.
The aim of this is to provide more exposurefor players in their home country, and provide fans with more opportunities toback their national team on home soil.
The top-two team’s progress from each groupinto the semi-finals played over two legs at home and away. The final is also atwo-legged affair.
“With the new format, matches will be morequalitative, so each match for every team is considered a final. Although,compared to the other teams in Group A, Vietnam will have a better chance toenter the event’s next phase due to the quality of our players,” said Anh.
“The qualifying round won’t be easy for Vietnam,although we are not in the same group as Thailand and Indonesia. However, Vietnamwill play with maximum focus and confidence to top Group A”, said striker NguyenVan Quyet.
“Ten years ago, Vietnam won the AFF Cup2008, now we are determined to bring the same joy to fans. The best way to dothis is to beat every rival and lift the trophy," Quyet added.
“Malaysia and Myanmar are arch rivals soit’s very important that Vietnam must show our full strength. We will focus in eachgame, the loss against Indonesia in the semi-finals of the AFF event two yearsago is still a bitter lesson for us. However, this loss will help Vietnam bestronger in this year’s event,” said Quyet.
Midfielder Dinh Thanh Trung also shares hisconfidence.
“My teammates and I will make every efforttowards new success. This time, Vietnam has many positive points compared totwo years ago. Firstly, the ongoing V.League 1 isn’t broken, so the nationalteam will have more time to prepare for the AFF tournament. Secondly, we havePark Hang-seo, a good coach. Finally, the team will have many young footballerswho made a miracle come true at the AFC U23 Championship held in China inJanuary, in which Vietnam won the silver medal for the first time in history.They will combine with other veterans to beat any rivals,” said Trung.
As planned, the Vietnam team will conveneon October 11 in Hanoi to prepare for regional event. During their training,they will play three friendly matches, both at home and abroad. The AFF SuzukiCup kicks off this year with the first group stage matches to be played onNovember 8. The final will be held on December 15.
The winning team will walk away with 200,000USD, while the runner-up team will receive 75,000 USD, and third-place will get50,000 USD. Vietnam will meet Laos in the opening games on November 8, on awayturf.-VNA
VNA
