The Vietnam national football team officially began their preparation for the ASEAN Mitsubishi Electric Cup 2024 today, with a training camp in South Korea scheduled to run for 10 days. Head coach Kim Sang Sik and his squad will have the opportunity to fine-tune their tactics with three friendly matches lined up against a range of opponents.
The team will first undergo a day of rest and recovery after completing the 9th round of the LPBank V.League 1 – 2024/25. After that, they will have a single training session on the morning of November 22 at the Vietnam Youth Football Training Center, before flying to South Korea later that day.
While in South Korea, the team will face three teams from the K-League: Ulsan Citizen from K-League 3 on November 27, and Daegu FC and Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors FC from K-League 1 on November 28 and December 1, respectively. These matches are crucial as they will allow Coach Kim to assess the squad’s readiness for the upcoming tournament.
Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, in particular, holds significance for Coach Kim, as he spent several years with the club, both as a player and as a coach. Under his guidance, Jeonbuk won multiple K-League titles and the AFC Champions League in 2016. His time with the club marked one of their most successful periods in history, and his intimate knowledge of the club and its players will provide a unique opportunity for the Vietnam team.
The Vietnam national team will return to Vietnam on December 4, after which they may call up players from Nam Dinh FC who are involved in the final two matches of the AFC Champions League Two group stage. The squad will then head to Laos on December 6 to prepare for their opening match of the ASEAN Cup 2024 against Laos on December 9.
The tournament will be held from December 8, 2024, to January 5, 2025, with the top two teams from each group advancing to the semi-finals. Vietnam’s group-stage fixtures include matches against Indonesia (home, December 15), Philippines (away, December 18), and Myanmar (home, December 21). Vietnam’s goal is to reach the final, aiming to capture the title for the first time since their victory in 2018.
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