Vietnam coach confident of earning point against Japan

"Japan have won two and lost two matches. They are the top seed and ranked 29th in the world. I can say this is the hardest opponent to face in group B. But we get to play at home. Therefore, we will try our best to earn one point in this game," Park said in the pre-match conference Wednesday.

Vietnam are at the bottom of group B after losing the first four matches against Saudi Arabia, Australia, China and Oman. The team only scored four and conceded 10 goals.

Japan are also in a difficult situation after losing to Oman and Saudi Arabia.

Park said that Vientam won 1-0 against Japan in 2018, but that was the U23 team. "From the Asian Cup 2019 clash, when Vietnam lost 0-1, their squad have changed a lot. I cannot make an accurate assessment because many of their players are competing in J. League, but their defense has quality players from the top leagues in Europe," he added.

After Vietnam's previous home game against Australia, the My Dinh National Stadium pitch was criticized for its quality. This time, it has been revamped to ensure better playing conditions.

"I think the pitch is good, but we shouldn't talk about it too much. An Australian player complained about it in the previous game. But he is playing in Europe, so he shouldn't compare the pitch there to Vietnam's," Park added.

When asked to predict the score, Park said: "I have no idea."

Vietnam will play Japan in My Dinh National Stadium in Hanoi at 7 p.m. Thursday. The match will be reported live on VnExpress International.