AFC U-17 Asian Cup 2023: India face old foes Vietnam

India defeated Vietnam the last time the two sides met.

The Indian U-17 football team will begin their AFC U-17 Asian Cup campaign on Saturday against a very mighty opponent in Vietnam. The Blue Colts came into the tournament on the back of a successful exposure tour in Europe where they went up against quality European sides.

Follow the India vs Vietnam game here: Live Updates

India will feature at the tournament for the ninth time ever since the competition came into existence. And they will be keen to reach the knockout stages this time around.

Bibiano Fernandes’ side are grouped alongside defending champions Japan, Vietnam and Uzbekistan. Ahead of their tournament opener, we take a look at how things stand.

The Stakes

India

India secured their qualification for the tournament by being the fourth second best team in the final qualifying round. The Blue Colts finished behind group leaders Saudi Arabia with nine points to their name. They won three out of their four games and ended up on the wrong side marginally against the table-toppers.

https://youtu.be/XmlLyfIxrWk

The team come into the tournament after playing against quality Spanish, German and Thai teams where they performed brilliantly. The boys will be keen to build upon their performances and make the nation proud at the continental stage.

Vietnam

Often considered to be one of the most consistent sides, Vietnam are undoubtedly one of the favourites to make it out of the group stage. The Golden Star Warriors work seamlessly as a unit and love to play a fast-paced brand of football.

Not just that, they’re an extremely disciplined unit at the back too! Vietnam finished the qualification round without conceding a single goal, where they faced the likes of Chinese Taipei, Nepal and Thailand. Vietnam too, have had a successful run of matches except their last encounter coming into the tournament where they lost to Yemen U-17, 2-0. All in all, they are going to be a huge test for India in their tournament opener.

Injury & Team News

Both teams have fully fit squads without any injury concerns going into the tournament.

https://youtu.be/sp3LlbMbUvg

Head-to-head

India and Vietnam came up against each other in the last edition of the tournament where Vikram Pratap Singh’s cool and composed penalty reserved India’s place in the quarter-finals.

Predicted Line-ups

India (4-2-3-1)

Sahil Poonia (GK); Mukul Panwar, Suraj Kumar, Ricky Meitei, Malemngamba Singh Thokchom; Danny Meitei, Gurnaj Singh Grewal; Lalpekhua, Vanlalpeka Guite, Korou Singh Thingujam (C); Thanglalsoun Gangte

Vietnam (4-4-2)

Phạm Đình Hải (GK); Phan Văn Thanh, Nguyễn Lương Tuấn Khải, Trương Nhạc Minh, Đặng Thanh Bình; , Vi Đình Thượng, Lê Đình Long Vũ, Phạm Nguyễn Quốc Trung, Nguyễn Công Phương; Nguyễn Thiên Phú, Nguyễn Thiên Phú

Player to watch

Korou Singh Thingujam (India)

Korou has been an example to the team and has led them from the front. The midfielder is head coach Bibiano Fernandes’ most-trusted personnel and has played a huge role both on and off the field in the team set-up. 

The midfielder is very creative and can create as well as score goals. The Sudeva Delhi lad has scored five goals for the Blue Colts in 14 matches, the recent one coming in their friendly against Muangthong United U-17 earlier this month. Singh will have a huge responsibility to ensure that the team sticks together all throughout the tournament and brings their A-game to the table.

Vi Dinh Thuong (Vietnam)

The midfielder is one of Vietnam’s most creative players and has had a huge role to play in the team. He scored once in the qualifiers and will be keen to add more to his tally come the tournament opener.

https://youtu.be/2_wp6n7grbw

Moreover, he’ll have to shoulder the responsibility to initiate attacks and capitalise on India’s mistakes in the middle of the park and also ensure that the midfield is sorted for Vietnam. He is a very technical and smart player and will possess a huge threat for the Indian side.

Did You Know?

• India U-17 defeated Vietnam U-17 in the last edition to make it to the quarter-finals.
• Vietnam U-17 have not conceded a single goal in their qualification round.
• It will only be the second meeting between the two sides.

Telecast

The match between India and Vietnam in the AFC U-17 Asian Cup will be played on Saturday, 17 June at the Thammasat Stadium in Bangkok. The kick-off time for the game is 5:30 PM IST. The game will be live streamed on JioTV (India) and on True ID TV (Thailand).