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Vietnamese players train at the Buyant Ukhaa stadium in Ulaanbaatar on October 6. They will play Mongolia in the opener of Group D at the AFC Futsal Asian Cup 2024 qualification. Photo of VFF |
Coach Diego Giustozzi and his players will face South Korea, Nepal and the hosts in Group D in which they expect to top and ensure a place in the finals.
The national team with the 15 best players arrived in the country on October 4 and had two days training at the competition venue of Buyant Ukhaa stadium in Ulaanbaatar.
Among the players are world top 10 goalkeeper Ho Van Y, national Bronze Ball holder Chau Doan Phat, captain Pham Duc Hoa and veteran forwards Nguyen Minh Tri and Tran Thai Huy.
They will be supported by newcomers including goalie Nguyen Huu Phuc, defenders Dao Minh Quang and Dinh Cong Vien and forwards Nguyen Manh Dung and Ngo Ngoc Son.
"Buyant Ukhaa's court surface is made of wood so it is quite slippery, the ball's rolling speed is also faster and significantly affects the players' ball control and finishes," said team manager Tran Anh Minh.
"However, we have prepared well and set the highest determination for the tournament. We want to secure all three wins for the top place in the group," he said.
In preparation for the qualifier, Vietnam players trained since early September. They had two friendly matches with quality teams. They lost 1-4 to World No 28 Hungary and tied the World No 4 Russia 3-3.
Earlier, the team also enjoyed a training camp in South America where they played Paraguay and Argentina in June.
Coach Giustozzi was pleased with his team's preparations and said players gradually met his requirements and followed his playing style, getting better and better. They were confident to play against strong opponents.
A total of 31 contenders will battle for the 15 spots to join Thailand ahead of next year’s Finals in the qualification campaign to be held across eight centralized venues from October 7 to 11.
Vietnam will play Mongolia on October 7; Nepal on October 9 and South Korea two days later.
The strongest team from each group and the seven best second-placed sides will join hosts Thailand in the finals from April 17 to 28, 2024.
