Key players absent as Vietnam call up 25 for Japan clash

The national team returned to training on Monday to prepare for the next two World Cup qualifiers with Japan and Saudi Arabia.

Right-back Nguyen Trong Hoang continues to be absent from the list. He was getting a herniated disc treated and already missed the games with China and Oman in October. Initially, doctors said it would only take Hoang about two weeks to recover. After a period of treatment in hospital, Hoang started his recovery at home but his condition grew worse.

Left-back Doan Van Hau will also miss the games as he is preparing to go to South Korea for treatment, after a long period of struggling with a knee injury.

Good news is the team will welcome back attacking midfielder Tran Minh Vuong, who has been out since Aug. 19 due to an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury.

The team will train under assistant coach Lee Young-jin, since coach Park is leading the U23 team at the Asian Cup U23 qualifiers in Kyrgyzstan. Later, Park and some key players of the U23 team will return to the national team.

This is Vietnam’s first time in the final round of World Cup qualifiers. The Golden Dragons are last in group B after losing the first four matches against Saudi Arabia, Australia, China and Oman.

Vietnam will get to play the November games at home stadium My Dinh in Hanoi with around 12,000 spectators (30 percent capacity) following the Covid-19 prevention guidelines of Hanoi.

The team will play Japan on Nov. 11 and Saudi Arabia five days later.