Park Hang-seo’s Vietnam will take on Thailand in a tricky opening match of the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers at the Thammasat Stadium on September 5.
Though it has been Vietnam who have been the superior among the two ASEAN sides at the international level (with Vietnam winning the AFF Suzuki Cup 2018 and reaching the quarterfinals of AFC Asian Cup 2019), the Vietnamese camp are wary of one player in the Thai setup.
China 0-1 Thailand – Chanathip goal
That is none other than Thailand playmaker Chanathip Songkrasin. And Vietnam head coach Park has warned his Southeast Asian champions to be wary of the threat from the Consadole Sapporo superstar.
“Currently, Thailand have three players playing in J1 League, including Chanathip [Theerathon Bunmathan and Thitipan Puangchan the other two]. He didn’t play at King’s Cup 2019, but we watched how he played in the Asian Cup earlier this year,” Park was quoted as saying by the Bangkok Post.
“We also watched videos of Chanathip quite a lot. It can be said that Vietnam must be vigilant with this player,” the South Korean coach said.
Vietnam captain Que Ngoc Hai was also full of praise for his Thai opponent.
“Chanathip has been the most outstanding Thai player over the past five years, so we would have to keep an eye on him throughout the game. But I don’t think he is the only threat that the Thais have in their squad. They have many other top-quality players,” Ngoc Hai said.
Vietnam only play one qualification match during the month of September, but Thailand will travel to Jakarta to face Indonesia in their second match on September 10.