Vietnam’s manager Park Hang-seo is cautious against his team’s next opponents Malaysia, who are consider the most "uncomfortable" rivals for the national squad in Group A of the on-going ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Championship - AFF Suzuki Cup 2018.

Coach Park Hang-seo admits that Vietnam would face multiple difficulties against Malaysia even playing at home.

The Vietnam national football team are in active training in preparation for their second group match against visiting Malaysia at Hanoi’s My Dinh Stadium on Friday evening.

After the 3-0 triumph over host Laos in their opening match on November 8, the Vietnamese squad returned to Hanoi for immediate preparation ahead of the "key" match against Malaysia on the road to win a ticket to the semi-finals. Currently, Malaysia are topping the group after two consecutive wins over Cambodia and Laos.

Sharing with the press, Park evaluated that each game is very important, especially the at-home match with Malaysia is like a final: "We understand the increasing heat of the AFF Cup 2018. Every match is very difficult and the next one with Malaysia is like a final." After beating Laos 3-1 in their second group match two days ago, Malaysia now have a full six points and will enter the fierce battle at My Dinh with great momentum.

Park’s side have no choice but to win three points if they don’t want to lag behind. The Korean coach also stressed that players that competed in the opening match against Laos would not be guaranteed the starting place in the next match with Malaysia: "I want everyone to make more efforts. At present, no one maintains their starting position and the chance is divided equally. The selection will depend much on the form and attitude of the players on training.”

In previous meetings, Malaysia beat Vietnam in several important matches. The “Golden Stars" lost to their opponents in the 25th SEA Games finals in Laos in 2009, and then lost twice in the AFF Cup semi-finals in 2010 and 2014. Therefore, coach Park and his players are all dedicated to preparing for their most important game so far on the evening of November 16.

"The concern and the cheer from home fans is the pride as well as the motivation for us to try our best in each match. However, the players understand this is also a great pressure to meet the expectations of the audience, especially when we play at home," said veteran striker Nguyen Anh Duc.

Sharing the same opinion with the oldest player in the squad, defender Doan Van Hau, who is the youngest in the team, appreciated the strength of his squad lying in the unity and the harmonious combination of both experienced players and youngsters. The 19-year-old defender of Hanoi FC also said that even with the games being played in the form of home and away, which force players to travel a lot, the spirit and form of the team’s members remain unaffected.

Nhan Dan