Challenging opening match

In the second qualifying round of the women's football for the 2024 Paris Olympics, the Vietnamese women's team is in the same group with Uzbekistan, India and Japan. Of which, Japan is a stronger team than the rest and will hardly miss the top spot.

According to the format of the second qualifying round, only the top 3 teams and the best second-placed team will advance to the final qualifying round. The Vietnamese team's chance may only come from the second place in the group. Coach Mai Duc Chung and his team will have to compete with Uzbekistan, while India is considered to be the underdog.

The match between the Vietnamese women's team and Uzbekistan tonight, October 26, is likely to determine second place in the group.

Uzbekistan team is a big obstacle for Vietnam team.

The home team is ranked 50th in the FIFA rankings, 16 places below the Vietnamese team. However, the gap in skill between the two teams is not large.

At the 19th Asian Games, the Uzbekistan team reached the semi-finals and finished fourth overall. Before that, they defeated Taiwan (China) - a team with the same level as the Vietnam team.

Meanwhile, coach Mai Duc Chung and his team showed signs of decline after the 32nd SEA Games and the 2023 World Cup. The Vietnamese team began to rejuvenate, preparing for a generational transition before coach Mai Duc Chung's contract expired and he officially said goodbye.

Vietnam vs Uzbekistan performance

The only time the Vietnamese and Uzbekistan teams met was in the 2020 Olympic qualifying match in 2019. At that time, Huynh Nhu and her teammates won with a score of 2-1.

The performance of the Vietnamese women's team in the most recent tournament was not highly rated. At the 19th Asian Games, coach Mai Duc Chung and his team won 2-0 against Nepal, 6-1 against Bangladesh and lost 0-7 against Japan. The Vietnamese team finished second in the group and was eliminated due to lower sub-index when compared to the results of the teams in the other groups.

The continuous competition in 2023 will have a significant impact on the players' physical strength and inspiration to play football. This is the problem that coach Mai Duc Chung must solve in the second qualifying round of the 2024 Olympics.

The Uzbekistan team will play 14 matches in 2023. At the 19th ASIAD, they only won 2 matches: Defeating the Mongolian team and overcoming Taiwan (China) after extra time.

Against top-class opponents like South Korea and China, Uzbekistan suffered heavy losses. This shows that the home team's level has not yet reached the high-class group. Compared to the Vietnamese team, Uzbekistan is on par.

Vietnam vs Uzbekistan forces

The Vietnamese women's team kept the same squad that participated in the 19th ASIAD. The most notable change is the return of Huynh Nhu. This striker just scored for Lank FC and promises to bring more sharpness to the Vietnamese team's attack in the context of the young strikers not having stability.

On the other side, the Uzbekistan team also did not have many changes in terms of force compared to ASIAD 19.