Defending champions Vietnam have taken a modest stance ahead of their campaign in Group B of the AFF Suzuki Cup 2020 in two days as realistic Malaysia refused to look beyond their first game against Cambodia.
Coming off the back of a string of difficult matches in the qualifying round of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Vietnam head coach Park Hang-seo was extra careful with his words.
“We just played six matches in the World Cup qualifiers and we lost all six games which made it hard on our players. Mentally, it is a very difficult moment for our team,” said Vietnam head coach Park Hang-seo.
“There are several good teams here and we will try our best to get a good result. With the COVID-19 situation, the movement of the players is limited and that applies to every team here. So we have to do the best that we can to prepare the team.”
Added Malaysian head coach Tan Cheng Hoe: “I know that we did not have a good preparation as the Malaysia Cup final was just on the 30 November, so we only had the complete team for a few days.
“So the most important factor at this point is to prepare well for the first match (against Cambodia). We cannot afford to be complacent where the players need to concentrate and focus for this first game.”
FURTHER QUOTES
“We cannot promise right here, right now that we can win the cup but if we keep playing well in all the matches, then all good results can come our way.
“With the AFF Suzuki Cup not being in the FIFA matchdays, we have some difficulty in getting some players and it is for this reason why some players will only arrive later.” – Indonesian head coach Shin Tae-yong
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“We have been watching the video of Malaysia and it is a different team from three years ago (at the last AFF Suzuki Cup). We have also changed a lot and we have prepared well against Malaysia.
“We have also brought several players from the U23, and while we cannot say what we will do (against Malaysia), we will be out to make sure that we do better.” Cambodia head coach Ryu Hirose
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“On behalf of the team and the LFF, I would like to say that we are very proud to be here and we will do our very best to compete against the other teams.
“We thank you for the opportunity and my team and I have prepared well for this tournament even though we are faced with some difficult situations back home.” – Laos head coach V. Selvaraj
AFF SUZUKI CUP 2020
FIXTURES – 6 December 2021
GROUP B (All matches at the Bishan Stadium)
1730: Cambodia vs Malaysia
2030: Laos vs Vietnam
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