The Vietnamese team train ahead of their friendly match with China on October 10. (Photo: VFF) After the match against China, Vietnam will face the hosts Uzbekistanon October 13. They will then play against the Republic of Korean (RoK) team inSuwon city on October 17.
Coach Philippe Troussier has shortlisted a squad of 28 players toprepare for the matches consisting of a combination of young talent andexperienced veterans, with nearly half of the squad comprised of U23 players.
"I selected players based on their performance and currentphysical condition, rather than their reputation," he said.
"Players who do not participate in these FIFA Days still havethe opportunity to compete in the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers, Asian Cup2023, or the next FIFA Days," Troussier said.
Vietnam are currently ranked 93rd in the FIFA rankings, while theRoK are ranked 26th, China are ranked 79th, and Uzbekistan are ranked 75th.
Although Vietnam have recently won and kept clean sheets infriendly matches during the previous FIFA Days at home, they are expected toface challenges in maintaining their achievements when these threeteams are ranked higher globally.
The results will serve as an accurate evaluation of the truestrength of the Vietnamese team after nearly seven months of training under theguidance of the new coaching staff.
Troussier said he highlyappreciated the quality of China, Uzbekistan, and the RoK. He believed thatcompeting against strong teams will allow the coaching staff to assess theirplayers and develop reasonable tactical strategies before entering the 2026World Cup qualifiers in Asia in November.
Vietnam are focused on building a playing style based on a modernattacking philosophy. According to experts, achieving positive results againststrong opponents will not be easy. However, the mistakes and shortcomingsrevealed during the matches will help coach Troussier and his coaching staffidentify areas for improvement and make necessary corrections to enhance theoverall performance of the team.
The French coach wants the Vietnamese team to perform well andshowcase all their strengths and weaknesses in the matches against formidableopponents.
"Our opponents are strong, but I hope the Vietnamese playerscan execute our preparations," Troussier said.
"I also emphasise the importance of playing style and theplayers' ability to create as many scoring opportunities as possible whilemaintaining smooth connections on the field.
"We need to focus on highlighting the positive aspects. I amalso concerned about the results because all three upcoming opponents arestronger than the Vietnamese team. However, I anticipate the occurrence ofmistakes. When these issues are revealed, we have the opportunity to addressthem."
In their last meeting during the 2022 World Cup qualifiers in Asiain early 2022, Vietnam emerged victorious against China. However, coachTroussier acknowledges that China are still considered a stronger team.
He added: "When the Vietnamese team face China, Indonesia,and Thailand, I recognise the significance of these matches. We thoroughlystudied China and analysed their strengths to prepare for the upcominggame.
"I fully understand the current position of Vietnamesefootball, and we are making every effort to narrow the gap with the top teamson the continent."
The friendly matches also serve as a warm-up for the Vietnameseteam ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, which will take place frommid-November 2023 to June 2024.
By being ranked among the world's top 100 teams and Asia's top 20teams, Vietnam will not be required to participate in a playoff round toadvance to the group stage of qualifiers for both the 2026 FIFA World Cup andthe 2027 AFC Asian Cup.
In the Asian region, all 36 teams are expected to be divided intonine groups, with the top two teams from each group advancing to the thirdqualification round for the 2026 FIFA World Cup and securing a spot in the 2027AFC Asian Cup finals.
Vietnam are placed in Group F alongside the Philippines, Iraq, andthe winner of the upcoming playoff match between Indonesia and Brunei. Vietnamwill play as visitors against the Philippines on November 16 and then return totheir home ground to face Iraq on November 21./.
VNA
