Sharing his determination for a victory to foster hopes of advancing, Park said: “Yemen and Vietnam are in the same situation. Both lost their first two matches and need a victory to light up Round of 16 hopes. We will do our utmost to win the encounter”.
Conceding two successive defeats against Iraq and Iran, the Golden Dragons are currently placed third in Group D with zero points and a goal difference of -3. Meanwhile, Yemen have yet to earn a point as well and stand at the bottom due to worse goal difference. The door to the knockout phase will only open to the Vietnamese side if they manage to thrash Yemen by a wide enough margin when they clash tonight.
However, the Republic of Korea coach admitted that it will be not easy to snatch points from Yemen, who are not psychologically inferior to the Vietnamese players, as both are strongly determined for a triumph to live up to fans’ expectations.
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Park has already had measures to cope with Yemen. (Photo: AFC)
Talking about the West Asian opponents, Park said that the coaching staff had conducted thorough analysis on the Yemen side to design appropriate responsive measures. The 60-year-old tactician also affirmed there would be no big changes in Vietnam’s starting lineup tonight. “I choose players who are prepared physically and mentally and those who are familiar with the opponents.”
Concerning the absence of defender Duy Manh, who has been suspended due to his two yellow cards, Park said he already had an alternative solution to the Hanoi T&T player in tonight’s match against Yemen, adding that there is no problem with the health situation of midfielder Trong Hoang.
Addressing the press conference, Vietnam midfielder Luong Xuan Trong also affirmed his strong determination ahead of the survival clash against Yemen. “It will be a tough game for the two teams. Both are psychologically tense following their two consecutive defeats. No one wants to leave the tournament empty-handed, so the Vietnamese squad will give everything in the last group match tonight”.
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The Golden Dragons are determined to bag full three points in the last group match. (Photo: AFC)
For his part, Yemen coach Jan Kocian is confident of his players’ ability when they take on the 2018 AFF champions. “We have analysed the Vietnamese team. Yemen have also been thoroughly prepared for the encounter, and I believe my players are ready to earn their first win”.
The last Group D match between Vietnam and Yemen will take place at Hazza bin Zayed Stadium in Al Ain at 11pm on January 16 (Vietnamese time).