Vietnam and India poised to reignite their historic rivalry.

Nam Dinh [Vietnam], October 9: The football rivalry between India and Vietnam dates back several decades. From the 1950s to the 1970s, India faced the former South Vietnam national team in numerous tightly contested matches during the Merdeka Cups and Asian Games. However, encounters in the 21st century have been infrequent, with Saturday's match in Nam Dinh marking only the fourth meeting between India and unified Vietnam in senior international play.

The previous three encounters were all friendly matches. In 2004, Vietnam secured a 2-1 victory in the LG Cup held in Ho Chi Minh City. In 2010, India, led by a hat-trick from Sunil Chhetri, won 3-1 in Pune. The most recent match took place in 2022 in Ho Chi Minh City, where Vietnam won 3-0 during the Hung Thinh Friendly Tournament.

The current Vietnam squad includes 13 players who participated two years ago, such as goalscorers Nguyen Van Toan and Nguyen Van Quyet. Among India's 23-player roster, 10 were part of the trip to Southeast Asia in 2022: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Anwar Ali, Jeakson Singh Thounaojam, Chinglensana Singh Konsham, Lallianzuala Chhangte, Brandon Fernandes, Liston Colaco, Vikram Partap Singh, Amrinder Singh, and Naorem Roshan Singh.

Both India and Vietnam find themselves in similar rebuilding phases under new head coaches following their exits from the second round of FIFA World Cup qualifiers. India fell short by two points behind Kuwait, while Vietnam finished Group F below Iraq and Indonesia.

Vietnam, ranked 116th—10 places higher than India—appointed former South Korean international Kim Sang-sik as their head coach in June. Under his leadership, they have recorded one victory against the Philippines and three defeats. In September, they lost both matches in the LPBank Cup friendly tournament in Hanoi against Russia (0-3) and Thailand (1-2).

The year 2024 has not been particularly fruitful for either team. The Blue Tigers have not secured a victory since November 2023, while the Golden Star Warriors have suffered 10 defeats in their last 11 matches. Both teams are eager for success, and India’s head coach Manolo Marquez anticipates a closely contested match.

"I think Vietnam has good players. We are playing away from home, which will be challenging for us, but it will also be difficult for them. We are physically in better shape than before, but there's still room for improvement. Our league started less than a month ago, and as anyone involved in professional football knows, you're not at your best until you've played 10-12 matches in a season. However, that doesn't matter for our current game. Vietnam is in a similar situation since their league has also completed only four rounds," Marquez stated, as quoted by the AIFF official website.

Like India, all members of the Vietnam squad compete in the domestic V.League 1, featuring a mix of experienced and young players. Notable experienced players include veteran striker Nguyen Van Quyet, captain and center-back Que Ngoc Hai, goalkeeper Dang Van Lam, and midfielder Do Hung Dung. Nguyen Tien Linh is the highest scorer in the current squad with 21 international goals. Midfielder Nguyen Quang Hai previously played a season in the French Ligue 2 with Pau FC.

Most players in the Vietnam squad are under the age of 26, showcasing promising talents like Nguyen Thanh Binh, Khuat Van Khang, and Nguyen Thai Son. The youngest player in Kim Sang-sik's team is 20-year-old forward Nguyen Dinh Bac, who has scored two goals in 10 appearances for the national team.

Vietnam will be without forward Pham Tuan Hai and defender Ho Tan Tai due to injuries. Several regulars, including Do Duy Manh, Nguyen Tuan Anh, and Phan Van Duc, are also absent from the squad for the friendly against India.

The 27-member Vietnam team has been training at the Vietnam Youth Football Training Centre in Hanoi since October 5. They will play a practice match against reigning V.League champions Thep Xanh Nam Dinh FC on October 9 before traveling to Nam Dinh on October 11, the day before the match.

Manolo Marquez's squad conducted their first training session in Vietnam on Monday evening at the Nam Dinh Sports Palace, located just two kilometers from their hotel. On Tuesday morning, strength and conditioning coach Jose Carlos Barroso led a 45-minute gym session. Marquez acknowledged that having more training days before the match will be advantageous for the team. The Blue Tigers plan to practice every evening leading up to the matchday to enhance their cohesion, rhythm, fitness, and tactical understanding.