The opponents are very strong, can U.23 Vietnam win the Southeast Asian championship?

The main opponents of U.23 Vietnam at the 2025 Southeast Asian U.23 tournament, including Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia, have clearly become stronger. Coach Kim Sang-sik's team will therefore face many difficulties.

Home team Indonesia determined to win the cup

The 2025 Southeast Asian U.23 Championship will take place from July 15 to 29 in Jakarta and Bekasi (Indonesia). As the host, U.23 Indonesia is determined to win the championship. The U.23 Indonesia squad has 16 players who have played for the national team. In addition, the list of the young team of the archipelago country also includes naturalized striker of Dutch origin Jens Raven (1.89 m tall, currently playing for Dordrecht Club, Netherlands).

As host, U.23 Indonesia ( left ) is determined to win the cup.

Photo: Independence

Among them, many players have international experience, such as striker Hokky Caraka (11 caps for the national team, scoring 2 goals), center back Muhammad Ferrari (8 caps, 2 goals), Kadek Karel (4 caps, 1 goal), midfielder Arkhan Fikri (8 caps). Most of the Indonesian national team players who have participated in the 2024 AFF Cup have experienced high-level matches and are used to dealing with great pressure.

Body shape and physical strength are the strengths of U.23 Indonesia. In addition to center Jens Raven, who is 1.89 m tall, they also have center backs Brandon Scheunemann, who is 1.87 m tall, Kadek Karel, who is 1.84 m tall, and Kakang Rudianto, who is 1.85 m tall. In addition, there are quite a few players taller than 1.80 m in the Indonesian youth team. With this force, U.23 Indonesia will be very dangerous in high balls.

Another team worth noting in this year's tournament is U.23 Thailand. The team from the land of the golden pagodas was the earliest to finalize the list of 23 players. Among them, attacking midfielder Seksan Ratree is a familiar face to Vietnamese fans, having played for the national team 10 times, scoring 3 goals. In addition, Seksan Ratree is a member of Buriram United Club (Thailand) which won the Southeast Asian Cup C1 last season, and faced Hanoi Police Club in this tournament. Striker Yotsakorn Burapha has also played for the national team twice. This is one of the most promising young faces in Thai football today.

Like U.23 Indonesia, U.23 Thailand is a team with a big advantage in terms of physique. This team has central defender Chanapach Buaphan who is 1.96 m tall, central midfielder Sittha Boonlha who is 1.86 m tall, and striker Yotsakorn Burapha who is 1.87 m tall. The above players will help U.23 Thailand be very dangerous in aerial battles.

The other notable opponent is U.23 Malaysia, who in theory do not have as many stars as U.23 Indonesia and U.23 Thailand. However, the spirit of Malaysian football is on the rise after the national team defeated Vietnam 4-0 in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers. Therefore, U.23 Malaysia can still create a surprise in this year's tournament.

U.23 Vietnam determined to defend the championship

In the context of increasingly stronger opponents, U.23 Vietnam will face many difficulties in defending the U.23 Southeast Asian championship. However, coach Kim Sang-sik's team still has certain advantages. Many players of U.23 Vietnam have played together in many international tournaments, so they are in tune with each other and understand the playing style built by coach Kim Sang-sik. This number includes defenders Nguyen Hieu Minh, Le Van Ha, Ho Van Cuong; midfielders Khuat Van Khang, Nguyen Van Truong, Nguyen Thai Son, Nguyen Phi Hoang, Le Viktor, Nguyen Quoc Viet, Nguyen Dinh Bac...

Particularly, Van Khang, Van Truong, Phi Hoang, Dinh Bac, Thai Son, Le Viktor, goalkeeper Tran Trung Kien, Cao Van Binh, and center back Pham Ly Duc have experience playing in the V-League and are capable of withstanding high pressure. In addition, in terms of technique, Vietnamese players are often rated higher than other teams in Southeast Asia. Therefore, if coach Kim Sang-sik succeeds in building a ball control style of play for his players, U.23 Vietnam will still be a formidable opponent.

U.23 Vietnam is in Group B with Cambodia and Laos. Host U.23 Indonesia is in Group A with Malaysia, Philippines and Brunei. U.23 Thailand is in Group C with Myanmar and Timor Leste. The strongest teams in this year's tournament, including Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia, will not have too much difficulty getting through the group stage. These teams will likely face each other in the semi-finals and finals.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/cac-doi-thu-rat-manh-u23-viet-nam-lieu-co-the-vo-dich-dong-nam-a-185250710223028901.htm