The team trained at Ba Ria Stadium in the southern beach town Vung Tau Thursday, except for Duc and Phuong, who received medical care. The two had suffered muscle fatigue, which is deemed not serious.
Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) said Phuong and Duc will play a private game where coach Park Hang-seo will assess the squad before choosing 30 out of 34 players for AFF Cup.
Nguyen Cong Phuong (L) and Nguyen Hoang Duc (R) train with the doctor in a training session on November 25, 2021. Photo by VnExpress/Duc Dong |
Duc is considered the team's best player of the past games of the final World Cup qualification round and a key midfielder, while striker Phuong has been a regular starter for the team.
Since it's less than 10 days until AFF Cup, coach Park has reminded players to focus and avoid getting injured during training.
The team welcomed a special guest to the session on Thursday. Nguyen Anh Duc, the veteran striker that played an important part in Vietnam’s journey to win the AFF Cup 2018, now retired from international football, sent his best wishes to the team before the tournament. He believes the team will successfully defend the title.
AFF Cup 2020 will take place from Dec. 5, 2021 to Jan. 1, 2022 in Singapore. Vietnam are in group B with Malaysia, Indonesia, Laos and Cambodia.