U.23 Vietnam is ready for the Asian challenge, how strong is the opponent?

The group with U.23 Saudi Arabia, U.23 Jordan and U.23 Kyrgyzstan provides a suitable challenge for U.23 Vietnam to aim for a ticket to the quarter-finals of U.23 Asia 2026.

IS U.23 VN'S OPPONENT WORRIBLE?

The draw of luck has put U.23 Vietnam in group A, along with host U.23 Saudi Arabia, U.23 Jordan and U.23 Kyrgyzstan. Not having to face extremely strong candidates such as U.23 Korea, U.23 Uzbekistan and U.23 Japan can be considered an advantage for coach Kim Sang-sik and his team. However, the opponents in group A are still formidable, forcing U.23 Vietnam to make great efforts to get points. Among them, the highest mountain is named U.23 Saudi Arabia.

U.23 Vietnam has won 7 matches under coach Kim Sang-sik

PHOTO: MINH TU

At the U.23 level, Saudi Arabia is a major force in Asia. The West Asian representative won the championship in 2022, and finished second twice in 2013 and 2020. Saudi Arabian football has a systematic youth training system, focusing on developing individual skills. Their young players are always agile, skillful, have good individual breakthroughs and have excellent techniques. U.23 Vietnam experienced this when they lost 0-2 to U.23 Saudi Arabia in the quarter-finals of the 2022 U.23 Asia. Facing a more cunning and scientific opponent, the team of coach Gong Oh-kyun at that time (with Van Khang and Van Truong still wearing the U.23 Vietnam shirt today) could not resist. To get at least 1 point against U.23 Saudi Arabia, U.23 Vietnam needs to defend focused and cautiously against striker Abdullah Radif, who has scored 12 goals in the last 20 matches for the home team.

U.23 Jordan is also a formidable opponent. Having won third place in the 2013 U.23 Asian Cup, Jordanian youth football then went through a decade of stagnation. But in the Asian playground, U.23 Jordan still "destroys" U.23 Vietnam, when they won 3-1 in the 2016 group stage and drew 0-0 in the 2020 group stage. Both times in the same group with U.23 Jordan, U.23 Vietnam were eliminated early. This is the "curse" that coach Kim Sang-sik and his team need to break. Jordanian football is on the rise with the runner-up position in the 2023 Asian Cup and a ticket to the 2026 World Cup. With that momentum, this team with a muscular playing style, leaning towards individual breakthroughs will be a difficult problem to solve.

U.23 Kyrgyzstan is the least known team in Group A (first time in the finals), but remember in the qualifying round, the Central Asian representative held the runner-up U.23 Uzbekistan to a 2-2 draw to take the top spot. The technical and tricky playing style promises to turn U.23 Kyrgyzstan into an interesting unknown.

T CALCULATE EACH MATCH

U.23 Vietnam will meet U.23 Jordan in the opening match (January 7, 2026), then welcome U.23 Kyrgyzstan (January 10), then face U.23 Saudi Arabia (January 13). The key will be the confrontation with U.23 Jordan. Not only is it the opening match that is meant to kick off the campaign, but U.23 Jordan is also the direct opponent competing for a ticket with Quoc Viet and his teammates (host U.23 Saudi Arabia is likely to win a ticket). Each match will have its own nuances and roles, however, determining the level of importance early will help coach Kim Sang-sik calculate the peak of form and appropriate force. In the context of a tournament with a frequency of 3 days/match, U.23 Vietnam needs tactics to solve each match, as well as a strategy for the whole journey.

U.23 Vietnam has won all 7 of its first matches under Mr. Kim, but most of them were against familiar opponents in Southeast Asia. Entering the Asian arena, the matches will be much more fierce and unpredictable. That is why the U.23 team will gather in October to train in the UAE. Coincidentally, U.23 Vietnam will play a friendly match with U.23 Qatar, a team also from West Asia like the two opponents in the same group, U.23 Saudi Arabia and U.23 Jordan. Being able to compete with a team with rich technique, passing and passing like U.23 Qatar will help the players understand more about West Asian teams, thereby finding ways to counter them.

U.23 Vietnam has reached the quarter-finals in 2022 and 2024 thanks to knowing themselves and their opponents, choosing specific tactics for each match. With coach Kim Sang-sik's pragmatic playing style and prioritizing defensive discipline, U.23 Vietnam will be a team that is difficult to defeat. However, the young players still need to accumulate experience through each match at both the club and the national team to progress, thereby meeting coach Kim's requirements and not being overwhelmed by the Asian mountains.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/u23-viet-nam-san-sang-cho-thu-thach-chau-a-doi-thu-manh-co-nao-185251003231554304.htm