Vietnam Under-22 coach Nguyen Huu Thang considers his team is a favorite of the tournament.
Thang said though Vietnam is drawn to the “Group of Death” with favorites Thailand and Indonesia, the team has the quality to qualify for the knockout round.
“We might be afraid of Thailand and Indonesia, but they might be afraid of us too,” Thang said in a press conference, as quoted by Zing.vn. “I don’t think we are drawn to the “Group of Death,” because we are a favorite of the tournament.”
Vietnam is drawn to Group B and will compete with Thailand, Indonesia, Cambodia, Timor-Leste for the two spots to the knockout stage. Teams will play in every two days, requiring coaches to rotate the players smartly. Therefore, Thang stressed the importance of match preparation because the gap between the teams in the region is marginal.
The players are reporting for the training camp in Hanoi. The team will travel to Ho Chi Minh City on July 13 to compete in the AFC Under-23 Championship qualification.