U.23 Vietnam has such an advantage, not knowing how to take full advantage would be a waste.

The match schedule of the U.23 Vietnam team at the U.23 Southeast Asia tournament is quite favorable, we play from easy matches to increasingly difficult matches, before entering the knockout round.

Start in the group stage

The U.23 Vietnam team will have their opening match against the U.23 Laos team on July 19. In theory, the young team from the land of a million elephants is a fairly easy opponent for coach Kim Sang-sik's team.

U.23 Vietnam benefits from the match schedule at the U.23 Southeast Asian tournament

Photo: VFF

In regional tournaments over the years, Lao football has never been a worthy opponent of Vietnamese football representatives. The playing style of Lao players in general does not create much difficulty for Vietnamese players. When facing our teams, Lao players often play gently, rarely have rough tackles, and do not mark too "hard". This makes it very easy for Vietnamese players to play. Overcoming the U.23 Laos team is within the reach of U.23 Vietnam.

Coach Kim Sang-sik's team will then face Cambodia U23 on July 22. Cambodian football has made great progress in recent times. Cambodia U23 participating in the Southeast Asian U23 tournament has the presence of a number of national players, such as left-back Leng Nora, defensive midfielder Sin Sovannmakara, and midfielder Chou Sinti.

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The Cambodian players' playing style is also stronger than that of the Lao players. Cambodian players are not afraid of collisions, ready to play "hard" when needed. However, in terms of general level, Cambodian football is still lower than Vietnamese football, and the Cambodian U.23 team is not strong enough to beat the Vietnamese U.23 team in this year's tournament.

The real challenge in the U.23 semi-finals

The task of getting through the group stage is not too difficult for coach Kim Sang-sik's team. From the semi-finals (July 25), the real challenge will appear for U.23 Vietnam. If U.23 Vietnam wins Group B, we will face the top team of Group C or the second team of Group A in the semi-finals.

U.23 Vietnam may meet U.23 Thailand again in the semi-finals

Photo: Vuong Anh

The top team in Group B could be U.23 Thailand (Group B has Thailand, Myanmar and Timor Leste), and the second team in Group A could be U.23 Philippines (Group A has Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines and Brunei). These are two quite difficult opponents for U.23 Vietnam. In particular, U.23 Thailand has always been a major force in Southeast Asia.

At first glance, the Thai team has declined compared to previous years. However, in the U.23 Thailand squad, attacking midfielder Seksan Ratree is a familiar face to Vietnamese fans. He is a Thai national team player and a member of Buriram United FC, which faced Hanoi Police FC last season. Seksan Ratree is expected to help U.23 Thailand shine in this year's tournament.

If they pass the semi-finals, U.23 Vietnam is expected to face host U.23 Indonesia in the final (July 29). In theory, the young team from the archipelago country is the strongest team in the 2025 Southeast Asian U.23 tournament. The U.23 Indonesia squad has many national players who participated in the 2024 AFF Cup. The home field advantage will help them increase their strength. Therefore, this could be the most difficult opponent on the journey to conquer the goal of defending the U.23 regional championship of U.23 Vietnam.

Competing from easy to difficult matches helps the U.23 Vietnam players easily adjust their performance, get used to the psychological pressure, and can expect an explosion in the most crucial stage of the tournament. In addition, the competition density of 3 days/match, a total of 4 matches in about 10 days (if we reach the final, U.23 Vietnam will compete from July 19 to 29) is a suitable density, not too close together nor too far apart, creating conditions for the players to maintain good physical strength throughout the tournament.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/u23-viet-nam-loi-the-co-nay-khong-biet-tan-dung-triet-de-thi-qua-phi-185250717103905915.htm