Comments on U23 Vietnam vs U23 Philippines, 4:00 p.m. July 25: Overcoming the 'dark horse' challenge, advancing to the final?

TPO - Football commentary U23 Vietnam vs U23 Philippines, semi-finals of U23 Southeast Asia 2025, at 4:00 p.m. on July 25 - Information on forces, expected lineup, performance, history of confrontation. Winning all group stage, U23 Vietnam will face the phenomenon U23 Philippines in the semi-finals of U23 Southeast Asia 2025. Facing an opponent with an annoying defensive counter-attacking style of play, coach Kim Sang-sik's team needs courage and maximum concentration to get closer to the championship goal.

Pre-match comments

Closing the group stage, U23 Vietnam was the only team to maintain an all-win record. The team opened with a 3-0 victory over U23 Laos, then defeated U23 Cambodia with a score of 2-1. Six full points helped Vietnam lead Group B, affirming its position as the top candidate for the championship.

However, in reality, what coach Kim Sang-sik's players showed was not really convincing. The midfield sometimes lost control, the defense had unsafe moves, while the offense did not take advantage of the opportunities created. Even in the match against Cambodia, Vietnam had to struggle to keep the victory, showing that there are many points that need to be improved if they want to go further.

Before the semi-final match, coach Kim Sang-sik also admitted: "U23 Philippines is a team with a very clear counter-attacking style, possessing fast and technical players, especially number 7 and number 20. This will be a big challenge for us. The players must maintain high concentration if they want to neutralize these strikers."

If U23 Vietnam advanced with high expectations, U23 Philippines created a big surprise in this year's tournament. This team entered the U23 Southeast Asia semi-finals for the first time in history after finishing second in Group A, a group with hosts Indonesia and Malaysia.

The Philippines shocked the world in their opening match by defeating Malaysia 2-0. Despite losing to Indonesia 1-0 from an own goal, the team recovered with a 2-0 win over Brunei. The Philippines finished as the second-best team in the group, surpassing Cambodia and Myanmar.

Notably, the U23 Philippines brought to the tournament a diverse squad with 6 players playing abroad: Nicholas Guimarães (Japan), John Lucero (Thailand) and 4 names from the US: Otu Banatao, Jax Peña, Noah Leddel and Javier Mariona. These faces all have a great influence on the playing style, helping the Philippines create an unpredictable team.

Looking at the balance of power, U23 Vietnam is considered to be superior with international competition experience and disciplined playing style. However, the Philippines has the excitement and "nothing to lose" spirit. Their defensive counter-attacking style has made many strong teams wary, and if not careful, Vietnam could face difficulties.

Form, head-to-head history

Head-to-head statistics at the U23 level show that U23 Vietnam has a clear advantage over the Philippines. In 3 encounters, we won 2, drew 1, scored 4 goals and only conceded 1.

However, those numbers do not mean an easy match. This is predicted to be the most difficult challenge for U23 Vietnam since the beginning of the tournament, and only by maximizing their abilities can coach Kim Sang-sik and his team overcome the Philippines to make it to the final of U23 Southeast Asia 2025.

Force information

U23 Vietnam left open the possibility of midfielder Pham Ly Duc playing, who suffered an ankle injury in the match against U23 Cambodia.

Meanwhile, U23 Philippines can field their strongest squad.

Expected lineup:

U23 Vietnam: Trung Kien, Hieu Minh, Ly Duc, Nhat Minh, Van Truong, Anh Quan, Xuan Bac, Van Khang, Phi Hoang, Quoc Viet, Dinh Bac.

U23 Philippines: Guimaraes, Caraig, Rosquillo, Villanueva, Taningco, Lucero, Muens, Mariona, Carino, Banatao, Reyes Dalapo.

Score prediction: U23 Vietnam 2-1 U23 Philippines

Watch the full 2025 Southeast Asian U23 Football Championship Mandiri Cup™ live onFPT Play, visit http://fptplay.vn

Source: https://tienphong.vn/nhan-dinh-u23-viet-nam-vs-u23-philippines-16h00-ngay-257-vuot-ai-ngua-o-tien-vao-chung-ket-post1763459.tpo