(MENAFN- The Peninsula) The Peninsula
Doha, Qatar: Tensions will be high when Uzbekistan and Vietnam face off for the AFC U23 Asian Cup Qatar 2024 Group D top spot today.
The showdown at the Khalifa International Stadium is a repeat of the 2018 final, where Uzbekistan emerged 2-1 victors to lift their inaugural title.
Uzbekistan have been in exceptional form at Qatar 2024, securing impressive wins over Malaysia (2-0) and Kuwait (5-0) to lead the group ahead of Vietnam on goal difference.
Timur Kapadze is confident that his players, despite the tight schedule, will be up for the challenge as the head coach has effectively utilised his squad, deploying 20 of the 23 players - with seven different scorers contributing to their campaign.
“Vietnam are a good team,” said Kapadze.“We have 23 players who can be in the starting lineup, so we are ready for the next match and will try our best.”
Vietnam, however, will be equally fired up after wins against Kuwait and Malaysia saw them book their knockout stage spot with a match to spare.
Head coach Hoang Anh Tuan is unfazed by the prospect of facing an Uzbekistan side many believe are one of the title favourites, expressing full confidence in his squad's ability to rise to the occasion.
“The next game will be a good experience for the players to play at this level of the Asian Cup.
“It's a different tournament (compared to the 2018 edition). Most of these players were there last year at the (AFC) U20 (Asian Cup), so they know what is expected of them in the last game.”
In other Group D game, Kuwait and Malaysia will be playing for pride at Al Janoub Stadium today. Both sides were eliminated following defeats to Uzbekistan and Vietnam but are determined to bid farewell to the tournament with a win.
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