After the breath-taking King’s Cup win of the national squad against Thailand, Vietnamese fans are hoping to see the U23 players build on their seniors’ impressive display during their Friday clash with Myanmar.
Despite the lack of key pillars Dinh Trong, Van Hau and Quang Hai, the Vietnamese team still have many outstanding players, such as keeper Bui Tien Dung, midfielders Trieu Viet Hung and Nguyen Hoang Duc, and forward Nguyen Tien Linh.
Addressing a press conference on Thursday, assistant coach of Vietnam U23s Nguyen Van Dan said that: “Despite being a friendly match, Vietnam U23s players need to show off their talent and look towards the SEA Games goal”.
He affirmed that 28 players of the Vietnamese side now stand ready for tonight’s clash.
Dan also noted that despite not directly coaching the U23 squad, head coach of the national team Park Hang-seo kept constant contact and had remote exchanges with the coaching staff when necessary, thus helping the U23 team best prepare for each specific goal.
In his speech, Vietnam U23s captain keeper Bui Tien Dung affirmed that he and teammates will strive to achieve the best results in every match, including tonight’s game against Myanmar U23s.
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Myanmar U23s coach Velizar Popov speaks highly of the Vietnamese side.
Speaking to the media, Myanmar coach Velizar Popov spoke highly of the power of the home side. He hailed the clash against Vietnam U23s as a quality test for his players in their preparations for the upcoming 30th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games later this year.
“Vietnam U23s are different from the Vietnamese national team, but in my opinion, they are the odds-on favourites for the SEA Games gold medal. Myanmar must overcome this test to foster hopes of advancing further in the SEA Games. I still give the highest appreciation to Vietnam U23s, although there remain many other strong teams, such as Thailand, Indonesia or Malaysia,” he said.
