Vietnam will play ado-or-die game on November 15 against Uzbekistan as the two teams seek acrucial win in their Group E game of the Asian Cup 2013 qualifiers atMy Dinh National Stadium in Hanoi.
The match iscrucial for both teams because the result could be a turning point intheir pursuit of a ticket to Australia in 2015.
ForVietnam, a win is a prerequisite to keeping the country's million-to-onechance alive, but for the Uzbeks, a victory will be a big step towardssecuring a berth at the regional tournament next year.
Nguyen Van Sy was in an upbeat mood ahead of the match, saying thathis team was well prepared. "We are ready for tonight's match and allour players are in high spirits and determined to take the game to ouropponents," he said.
"Uzbekistan are a strong teamand they are also determined to win the match, but playing in front ofhome fans will drive us to get the best possible result," the42-year-old coach said.
The United Arab Emirates topthe group with nine points after three wins, while Hong Kong andUzbekistan share second place on four points after one win, one draw andone loss. Vietnam is bottom without a single point.
It is still mathematically possible for Vietnam to qualify for theAsian Cup next year if they win their three remaining matches, includingthe match on November 15 night.
Sy, however, is notcounting his chickens, and remains very down to earth. "Our immediatetask is to focus on one game at a time," the Nam Dinh province nativesaid.
Vietnam will welcome the return of midfielderLe Tan Tai, who missed the away fixture through injury, while goalkeeperBui Tan Truong has been selected following a solid performance duringthe BTV Cup. Tai promised he and his teammates will put up a strongperformance on November 15.
Despite playing away,Uzbekistan's head coach Mirjalol Kashimov is extremely confident of awin over Vietnam. "We had a long journey on November 13, but now wehave recovered. Our mood is excellent at the moment and we are allfocused on the game," he told reporters via an interpreter in thepre-match news conference.
"I think Vietnam willplay on the counter-attacking game, but we go into the match asfavourites because we are a stronger team. I believe we will beatVietnam regardless of the fact that they are playing at home withgenerous support from their fans," an upbeat Kashimov said.
He also emphasised the psychological importance of getting an earlygoal. "We will try to get on the scoresheet first to put us in a betterposition to win the match," he finished.-VNA
