Vietnam vs India lineups, team news, prediction & preview

The Blue Tigers tasted a 3-0 defeat in their last meeting with the Golden Star Warriors.

Indian men’s national football team play their first away game of the Manolo Marquez era when they face off against Vietnam in Nam Dinh on Saturday (12 October). After a grim beginning under the new manager, the Blue Tigers will look to get a compelling win to end their harrowing winless run and instil some hope about a potentially bright future under the Spanish gaffer.

📷 Scenes from the Blue Tigers' training sessions ahead of their international friendly against Vietnam 🔵 🇮🇳#IndianFootball #BlueTigers pic.twitter.com/d8qgX9qjuz

— Khel Now (@KhelNow) October 8, 2024

The Stakes

Vietnam

Just like the Indian side, Vietnam have had a pretty forgettable 2024 at the international stage. They’ve won only two of their 11 matches played this year, with one of them being a friendly against Vietnamese club Thép Xanh Nam Định. The Golden Star Dragons realize that this could be an ideal time for them to face an Indian side who are low on confidence and still adapting to changes under a new set-up.

They’ll look to use their passionate fans’ energy to produce an electric performance and take the fight to India. Vietnam will definitely play on the front foot in this, as they look to put the visitors under intense pressure. A win can be particularly sweet for Vietnam and help them gain some valuable points in the FIFA World Rankings. But losing to this underperforming India team at home can be particularly gutting for them and sum up their issues in 2024.

India

The Blue Tigers have now won a single match in 2024 as we move into the final three matches of the year. They don’t really have a lot of games to play in the calendar year, which imposes more importance on having to win this game. The Indian squad are yet to properly adapt to Marquez’s system and bring his vision to the pitch. But they definitely need to raise their spirit and energy levels to take the fight to Vietnam.

The Indian players have to show more quality in the final third, especially when it comes to finishing off whatever chances that can be created in the intimidating atmosphere. They also have to be cohesive as a defensive unit, to frustrate the hosts and show a bigger desire to win to end their winless run. A big win can definitely raise the confidence levels of not only the players but also the fans – but another dim draw or loss can further dampen the belief around the national team.

Also Read: All matches & results of Indian football team in 2024

Injury & Team News

Vietnam should have a fully fit squad from the one that participated in their recent win over Thép Xanh Nam Định.

Marquez does not have any issues with the squad that flew to Vietnam. He is, of course, missing the likes of Sahal Abdul Samad and Sandesh Jhingan for this international break due to fitness issues.

Head-to-Head

Matches Played – 3

Vietnam wins – 2

India wins – 1

Draws – 0

Probable Lineups

Vietnam (3-4-3)

Filip Nguyen (GK); Que Ngoc Hai, Nguyễn Thành Chung, Thanh Bình Nguyễn; Phạm Xuân Mạnh, Đỗ Hùng Dũng, Nguyễn Quang Hải, Nguyễn Phong Hồng Duy; Bùi Vĩ Hào, Phan Van Duc, Nguyễn Tiến Linh

India (4-2-3-1)

Gurpreet Singh Sandhu (GK); Nikhil Poojary, Rahul Bheke, Anwar Ali, Naorem Roshan Singh; Suresh Singh, Apuia; Lallianzuala Chhangte, Brandon Fernandes, Liston Colaco; Vikram Partap Singh

Players to Watch

Bui Vi Hao (Vietnam)

Vietnam will definitely take the fight to India in this upcoming clash. However, we might see them giving priority to young players. Bui Vi Hao is heading into this game in some impressive form after his excellent performance in their previous friendly win.

He scored a brilliant second-half brace against Thép Xanh Nam Định, helping his side win the game and gearing himself up before the official friendly against India. The 21-year-old is an unpredictable character with his tricky movement in the final third, but it’s his explosiveness final product that he’ll look to unleash upon the Blue Tigers. Vi Hao will try to be a menace for the Indian backline with his clever work and look to finish off chances clinically to thrill his home fans.

Lallianzuala Chhangte (India)

Lallianzuala Chhangte has arguably been India’s shining light in a dreadful 2024 and provided some spark in the frontline with his proactive nature. Chhangte actually scored India’s last goal which was a 2-1 loss to Qatar, which also proved to be Igor Stimac’s final match. He looked pretty sharp with his movement and dribbles in the Intercontinental Cup but lacked that bite in his final product.

He’ll need to be much more decisive with his work in the Vietnam half’s danger areas. Chhangte needs to really nail his final passes to create big scoring chances for his teammates. But knowing his goal-scoring prowess, Marquez will urge him to get into more goal-scoring areas and unleash his slick finishing ability to end India’s two-game goal drought.

Also Read: Why Indian football team are struggling to score goals?

Did you know?

• Lallianzuala Chhangte is one of just two Indian players to have scored in international games for India this year, with the other being Sunil Chhetri.
• Vietnam have lost four of their last five official matches, with their 3-2 win over the Philippines being their last competitive win.
• The last time that the Indian football team had gone an entire year without winning a match was back in 2006.

Telecast Details

The Vietnam vs India match will take place at the Thien Truong Stadium, Nam Dinh on Saturday (12 October). It will kick off at 4:30 PM IST. The match will be available to live stream on the FanCode app and their website.

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