Vietnam loses two players before Asian Cup 2023

Thanh Chung was injured in the match between Hanoi and Ha Tinh in round 7 of the V-League on December 22. However, he is still on the list of 34 players called up by coach Philippe Troussier to attend the 2023 Asian Cup. Yesterday, December 28, the 26-year-old central defender went to the training camp to check his injury status, with the result that he had damaged his knee ligaments and had to rest for at least two weeks. Therefore, he did not have time to recover before the team left for Qatar.

Under coach Park Hang-seo, Thanh Chung was often used in both the U23 and national teams. He was one of eight players who participated in the 2019 Asian Cup. However, when coach Troussier took over the Vietnamese team, the Hanoi central defender was rarely used and was not in the French coach's plan. During this training session, when central defenders such as Que Ngoc Hai and Do Duy Manh were often injured in the V-League, Thanh Chung's inability to participate also somewhat affected the team's strength.

Midfielder Van Toan also missed the Asian Cup due to an ankle injury. The CAHN player was injured and left the field in the eighth minute of CAHN's win over Binh Duong in the 8th round of the V-League on December 26. He will need three to four weeks to recover. Van Toan is also rarely used by coach Troussier in the national team, and is only a backup option in midfield.

Thus, the team consists of 33 players, including midfielder Pham Van Luan who has just been called up. The players will gather from December 31 and practice at the Youth Football Training Center in the premises of the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) headquarters in My Dinh, Hanoi.

On January 5, the team will depart for Qatar to train and get used to the climate and stadium of the host country. The friendly match against Kyrgyzstan on January 9 is the final rehearsal before the team begins the group stage of the 2023 Asian Cup, facing Japan (January 14), Indonesia (January 19) and Iraq (January 24).

The 2023 Asian Cup will take place from January 12, 2024 to February 10, 2024 in Qatar. China was originally chosen as the host but withdrew due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. For this reason, the tournament was postponed to early 2024. The 24 teams will be divided into six groups, playing a round-robin tournament to select the six first-place teams, six second-place teams and four best third-place teams to advance to the round of 16.

List of 33 players of Vietnam national team

Goalkeeper(3): Dang Van Lam (Binh Dinh), Nguyen Filip (Hanoi Police), Nguyen Dinh Trieu (Hai Phong)

Defender(11): Vu Van Thanh, Bui Hoang Viet Anh, Giap Tuan Duong, Ho Van Cuong (CAHN), Do Duy Manh, Que Ngoc Hai, Vo Minh Trong (Binh Duong), Nguyen Thanh Binh, Phan Tuan Tai (The Cong Viettel), Le Ngoc Bao, Do Thanh Thinh (Binh Dinh)

Midfielder(13): Nguyen Hoang Duc, Nguyen Duc Chien, Khuat Van Khang, Truong Tien Anh (The Cong Viettel), Do Hung Dung, Pham Xuan Manh, Nguyen Hai Long (Hanoi FC), Nguyen Quang Hai, Le Pham Thanh Long, Pham Van Luan (CAHN), Nguyen Tuan Anh (HAGL), Trieu Viet Hung (Hai Phong), Nguyen Thai Son (Thanh Hoa)

Forward(5): Pham Tuan Hai, Nguyen Van Tung (Hanoi FC), Nguyen Tien Linh (Binh Duong), Nguyen Van Toan (Nam Dinh), Nguyen Dinh Bac (Quang Nam), Nguyen Thanh Nhan (PVF-CAND).