Vietnam – Thailand 2020 AFF Cup semi-final: on equal terms

The Thai football team has been striving to compete with the Vietnamese one, but it remains to chase. It is Coach Park Hang-seo and his players who take the upper hand, with their improvement in the past four years. Moreover, they are the representatives of Southeast Asia to participate in the final round of the Asian Qualifiers for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Looking back at previous matches, Thailand effortlessly completed the group stage at first place in Group A. However, when taking into account the strength of the opponents in the table, the victory of the Thai team is not surprising because Myanmar shows signs of decline, and the Philippines still gives no hint of improvement as shockingly as it did in 2016. The remarkable victory was against Singapore, in which Thailand only put out the second starting line-up. It is a matter that Mr. Park Hang-seo must pay attention to because Thailand shows a depth of force and psychological comfort.

Mr. Polking has his reason to think that the psychological pressure is on the Vietnamese team because, at this time, Thai football is struggling to regain its past glory after a total failure in the regional and Asian arenas. Meanwhile, Vietnam enters the game with the position of defending champion. The strength of Thailand still lies in the veterans in the attack, including Dangda, Supachok, and Chanathip. The uniformity of this trio promises to cause many difficulties for the defense of the Vietnamese team. On the other side of the pitch, Mr. Park still has the strongest and most complete squad. The absence of Dinh Trong does not disturb the defense because recently, Dinh Trong has not been in the starting line-up of the Vietnamese team. On the other hand, in such key matches, safety in the defense with experienced veterans and good performance is still the first choice. The recent head-to-head record also supports the Vietnamese team with a draw and victory results. Although the head-to-head record is mainly for reference, it will be a powerful psychological weapon at this time. Not to mention that the bravery of the Vietnamese players has been thickened over the years. If the Vietnamese team competitively enters the game like in the 2022 World Cup qualifiers, the entrance to the final will not be too difficult for Vietnam.

The key of this match will be in the midfield. The two teams have been familiar with each other, from the players to the playing style. Hence, this area will be the hot spot of the match. It is worth mentioning that in the previous matches against Thailand, Vietnam had Van Hau and Trong Hoang on two wings. These positions are now assigned to Hong Duy and Van Thanh, or sometimes, Tan Tai. Indonesia or Malaysia possibly have recognized the pros and cons of these players, but because they are weaker, they fall into a defensive position. However, it is different for Thailand. So this is also a battle of wits between two coaches in choosing the formation and playing style to surprise the opponent. The first leg of the semi-finals of the 2020 AFF Cup between Vietnam and Thailand will be aired on VTV6 at 7.30 p.m. tonight.