>>> Head coach Park Hang-seo: “Vietnam will beat Malaysia”
>>> Vietnam highly favoured to win three points against Malayan Tigers
>>> Coach Park unveils final squad for World Cup qualifiers against Malaysia
This is the first meeting between the two teams in 10 months. Previously, in December last year, coach Park Hang-seo’s side defeated the Malayan Tigers 1-0 at My Dinh in the second leg of the AFF Suzuki Cup 2018 final to be crowned the Southeast Asian champions.
After the defeat, Malaysia’s squad under coach Tan Cheng Hoe have made significant changes. They beat Indonesia 3-2 in their Group G opener of the 2022 World Cup Asian qualification second round, before conceding a narrow 2-1 loss to the group favourites, UAE. Most recently, Malaysia recorded an impressive 6-0 triumph in a friendly with Sri Lanka on October 5.
Coach Park has affirmed that Malaysia are much improved compared to the AFF Cup 2018 and their attacking line is now more clinical. Their long balls in the middle and from two wings prove very effective. Malaysia's midfielders also actively launch attacks right from their half.
The remarkable point is that while the attacking has left much impression and efficiency, Malaysia's defence has not been as good as the front line. Their last two conceded goals are all from the defenders' mistakes as in the 2-1 defeat to UAE. It is a weakness that Vietnamese players can exploit.
Malaysia often show gaps between the midfielders and defenders when pressing and this is an opportunity for skilful Vietnamese players like star Nguyen Quang Hai to make good use of quick counter-attacks and long passes.
Earlier, in the opening match of Group G, the Golden Dragons collected a point after a 0-0 draw against hosts Thailand. Meanwhile, the Malayan Tigers have accumulated three points after their two matches against Indonesia and UAE.
In the past 10 matches against Vietnam, Malaysia drew two and lost seven, so coach Tan Cheng Hoe has vowed to salvage such a bad record in the match tonight. Meanwhile, coach Park Hang Seo has also expressed his confidence in a triumphant result for his players at home.
With that in mind, here are the predicted XIs for both squads.
 |
Vietnam (3-4-3): Van Lam, Ngoc Hai, Duy Manh, Tien Dung, Trong Hoang, Van Hau, Hung Dung, Tuan Anh, Van Toan, Quang Hai, Anh Duc
Malaysia (4-4-2): Farizal Marlias, Matthew Davies, Lawrence Corbin-Ong, Shahrul Saad, Aidil Zufuan, Brendan Gan, Akram Mahinan, Safawi Rasid, Akhyar Rashid, Syafiq Ahmad, Norshahrul Idlan
Prediction: Vietnam 2-1 Malaysia
