* Comment before the match
In the first leg of the AFF Cup 2024 final, the Thai team was unable to field the strongest squad when No. 1 star Suphanat Mueanta was not in the best condition and could only play from the bench. Therefore, Suphanat – Supachok Sarachat – Ekanit Panya, the three best attacking players of “War Elephants”, cannot participate together.
But in the second leg of the AFF Cup 2024 final, according to Thai media, Suphanat was completely healthy and ready to play from the start. The Golden Temple team is likely to launch an attack-oriented lineup and push the team up early. “War Elephant” will become very dangerous with the 4-2-3-1 formation, when the trio Suphanat – Supachok – Ekanit plays behind key striker Patrik Gustavsson. The two central midfielders will be Weerathep Pomphan and Benjamin Davis, who are able to control the ball well and handle it well in a narrow range.
Xuan Son almost makes Thai defenders “smoke” in speed racing situations.
The attacking power of the Thai team is expected to be much stronger. In a sharing with the Newspaper AdolescentCoach Alexandre Polking, who helped the Golden Temple team win the AFF Cup twice in a row, predicted that Suphanat – Supachok – Ekanit will cause many difficulties for the Vietnamese team.
At this time, the Vietnamese team needs to show their bravery. Central midfielders like Doan Ngoc Tan and Nguyen Hoang Duc must actively support and reduce pressure on the defense. Nguyen Thanh Chung, Pham Xuan Manh, Bui Tien Dung or Nguyen Dinh Trieu also need to be very focused.
In addition, the Vietnamese team needs to know how to exert counter pressure. This is a way to reduce pressure on the defense and is also something that Nguyen Xuan Son, Bui Vi Hao… can do. The Thai team has exposed many weaknesses in defense and we know how to exploit them. The central defender pair Pansa Hemviboon – Chalermsak Aukke is experienced but slow, while Xuan Son and Vi Hao are quick. Young midfielder Jonathan Khemdee also has many weaknesses such as immaturity and a relatively hot temper.
The Vietnamese team has a 1-goal advantage, so with just 1 draw, coach Kim Sang-sik and his team will be crowned champions of the 2024 AFF Cup. But if you approach the match with the mindset of holding a draw, “Warriors yellow star” will be in trouble. Coach Polking warned: “If you just want to defend against Thailand, things will not be simple.” Therefore, the Vietnamese team needs to show bravery, maintain a tight defensive style – quickly counter-attack and create difficulties for opponents with fierce pressing situations. If we keep playing like the first leg of the AFF Cup 2024 final, the chance of winning the championship for the Vietnamese team is very high.
