Vietnam national football team ready to defend AFF Cup title

At a press conference held on December 4 ahead of the opening of the AFF Suzuki Cup 2020, head coach Park Hang-seo noted that Vietnam are under great pressure going into AFF Cup as defending champions, in addition to the team's consecutive losses recorded in the third qualifying round for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

He said that during the ongoing World Cup qualifiers, his team never lost their fighting spirit, despite facing many strong rivals.

Vietnam will begin their journey to defend the AFF Cup championship with an opening fixture against Laos on December 6, with some players suffering light injuries such as Que Ngoc Hai and Nguyen Quang Hai ready for the opener.

The Laotian side have made thorough preparations for the AFF Cup 2020, calling up some footballers who play abroad to represent them in the largest Southeast Asian football tournament.

Most notably, striker Billy Ketkeophomphone has experience competing in French Ligue 1 and will be attending the regional tournament.

The majority of the Laotian team are young footballers, with this being the first AFF Cup they will participate in, making an upset in their opening match against Vietnam a huge challenge for them.

The AFF Cup 2020 kicked off in Singapore on December 5 and will last through to January 1, 2022, with the tournament featuring the participation of 10 national teams from regional countries.

Vietnam play in Group B and are scheduled to take on Laos on December 6, Malaysia on December 12, Indonesia on December 15, and Cambodia on December 19.

Coach Park and his players have set a target of defending the championship title they previously secured back in 2018.