The match will take place at 3.00 p.m. and be reported live on VnExpress International.
Truong Xuan Thuy, who lives in Dubai, capital of the United Arab Emirates, predicts that Vietnam will defeat the UAE on September 1.
“UAE has better skills but Vietnam has great team spirit and strong discipline,” Thuy told VnExpress.
Thuy, who has not missed any match of the Vietnamese men’s football team since the Asian Games began, said he was impressed by the national team’s skills and complimented Head Coach Park Hang-seo leadership skills. He said plans to invite 20 friends over his house to watch today’s match that will decide the bronze medal winner.
“UAE is a very liberal place,” he said. “So we will cheer the national team from afar. If Vietnam wins, we will even raid the street and raise the Vietnamese flag up high.”
He also said that the massive fan support is another advantage that Vietnam has over UAE.
Meanwhile, UAE team might be affected psychologically from the previous friendly match it had with Malaysia in August ahead of Asian Games.
According to the Khaleej Times, an English newspaper in the UAE, the friendly match turned ugly after players from both sides threw punches at each other. The matter quickly escalated out of the referee’s control. Malaysia police and authorities had a rough time restoring order.
Thuy added the UAE team might be at risk of being disciplined.
Mac Van Cuong, who also lives in Dubai, also said that he has high hopes that Vietnam will win the next match. He noted that Vietnamese football is going through a golden age, with the national team even going past some of the strong teams in the Middle East.
Meanwhile, California resident Nguyen Long predicts that Vietnam will defeat the UAE 2-0.
“Vietnam will win since the team has the skills and the motivation. If both teams are tied in the first 90 minutes, I believe Vietnam still has the chance to win in extra time,” Long said.
Long pointed out that despite having better stamina and endurance, UAE still lost to Japan on August 29, while Vietnam had defeated Japan 1-0 in a group match.
However, toning down his confidence, he added: “I hope the coach can rearrange the team as needed after the loss to Korea so that Vietnam can triumph in the next match with UAE.”
Long also pointed out that only a handful of people on the internet have blamed the head coach for Vietnam’s loss in the semifinal match.
Nguyen Thai, a Vietnamese living in Oregon, U.S., said he strongly believes in the head coach’s leadership.
“Their performance at Asian Games is better than during the AFC Cup which took place in Changzhou, China earlier this year. Even if they loose the next match, they are already heroes in my heart,” Thai said.
Living in Munich, Germany, Nhat Le anticipated that the match will be an exciting one with many goals scored, because both teams do not have the psychological pressure of going for the gold or silver medal. He felt Vietnam will win with 2-1, or win in extra time.
“UAE is placed higher than Vietnam in world football rankings. They are a strong team and also participated in World Cup. However, anything can happen when it comes to the next generation of football,” he said.
Nhat Le said he will bet 20 euros ($23) that both teams will have a tied score by the end of the second half.
Trung Hieu, who lives in Chiba, Japan, said he believes today’s match will be a “heart throbbing” one.
“Since both teams lost in previous round, I think they will go all out for the last match. I predict that Vietnam will win this 2-1,” he said.