Indonesia national team trained at the Madya ground in the Gelora Bung Karno National Sports Complex on Wednesday.
Both Indonesia and Vietnam were not allowed to train on the main pitch because the Asian Football Confederation wanted to ensure the quality of the grass for the game on Thursday night.
This is Indonesia's third training session since gathering on March 17.
Indonesia have nine naturalized players called up this time, including four rookies: Jay Idzes, Nathan Tjoe-A-On, Thom Haye and Ragnar Oratmagoen.
However, Haye and Oratmagoen cannot play on Thursday as they completed the naturalization process after the player registration deadline of March 14.
Idzes, 23, is a center-back and can play as a defensive midfielder. He was born in the Netherlands, with Indonesian grandparents. Idzes trained at PSV Eindhoven youth academy, playing 54 matches for the first team of this Dutch club from 2018-2020. After that, he played for Go Ahead Eagles until 2023. Currently, the 1.91-m-tall defender plays for Venezia FC in the Italian second division Serie B.
Idzes is considered a fine addition for Indonesia after they lost their pair of key defenders, Elkan Baggott and Jordi Amat, due to injury.
Tjoe-A-On, 22, is a left-back. He was also born in the Netherlands, has Indonesian grandparents and got Indonesian citizenship on March 11.
A product of the Excelsior youth academy, Tjoe-A-On played 49 matches for this Dutch club from 2019 to 2023. After that, he joined Swansea City, but could not find a place in the lineup, so he went to Dutch club SC Heerenveen on loan.
Midfielder Thom Haye (R) and striker Oratmagoen will play the second game against Vietnam at My Dinh Stadium on March 26. The two rookies are expected to make Indonesia stronger, especially in the midfield.
Haye is a key player of SC Heerenveen in the top Dutch league, the Eredivisie. The 29-year-old midfielder has played 84 matches, scoring six goals for Heerenveen since the 2021-2022 season. Haye and Sandy Walsh, another naturalized Indonesian player, were in the Dutch squad that won the 2012 U17 European Championship.
The remaining five naturalized Indonesian players all competed at the 2023 Asian Cup, of which Sandy Walsh (C) stood out when he scored in Indonesia's 3-1 loss to Japan in the group stage. The 29-year-old defender has been playing for Mechelen in the Belgian national league since 2020.
Center-back Justin Hubner (front) is likely to start in Thursday's game. Hubner said he was ready to beat Vietnam. The 21-year-old defender is 1.87 m tall and has just moved from Premier League club Wolves to J1 League club Cerezo Osaka on loan.
Midfielder Ivar Jenner, 20, plays for Dutch club FC Utrecht. He is 1.86 m tall and is expected to strengthen the midfield of Indonesia alongside Marselino Ferdinan, a 19-year-old domestic star.
Striker Rafael Struick (C) earned a penalty after being fouled by Vietnam's Nguyen Thanh Binh, helping Indonesia win 1-0 in the 2023 Asian Cup. This 1.85 m tall striker is still searching for his first goal for the national team.
Meanwhile, Marc Klok (R) has not been able to train with his teammates because of a heel injury. He had to take painkillers for the past two months to play for his club and is willing to do so to play for Indonesia.
Indonesia will miss several naturalized players this time, including Elkan Baggott, Jordi Amat and Shayne Pattynama due to injury.
Coach Shin Tae-yong (pictured) admitted that the absences affected his plan, but he was still confident of the replacements getting a win against Vietnam.
