Indonesia and Vietnam will face off at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, 29/7.

In the 2023 AFF U23 Championship final in Thailand, Indonesia lost to Vietnam 6-5 on penalties after a 0-0 draw. This time, Indonesia has the advantage of playing at home in front of tens of thousands of fans at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium. "We have prepared our best to win the championship," Vanenburg said at the pre-match press conference on 28/7.

Indonesia reached the final by defeating Thailand 7-6 on penalties after a 1-1 draw. Coach Vanenburg sees this result as a reason for his team to be confident before facing Vietnam. "We lost to Vietnam on penalties two years ago, but it won't be a problem if we have another shootout tomorrow. The Indonesian players performed well against Thailand, so they are not afraid. In a penalty shootout, the important thing is mentality. The most confident players will take the penalties," the Dutch coach said.

Coach Vanenburg at the pre-match press conference for the AFF U23 Championship final, on the afternoon of 28/7. Photo: Anh Khoa

Coach Vanenburg at the pre-match press conference for the AFF U23 Championship final, on the afternoon of 28/7. Photo: Anh Khoa

After the 120-minute semi-final against Thailand, some Indonesian players are fatigued and may not start in the final. In recent training sessions, the home team has focused on light workouts to aid player recovery. However, midfielders Arkhan Fikri, Toni Firmansyah, and forward Raven are still not ready due to injuries. "They look okay, and hopefully, they will be able to play. But if they can't, I still have to find other options to face Vietnam," Vanenburg said.

The 64-year-old Vanenburg was a teammate of Van Basten, Rijkaard, and Gullit in the Netherlands team that won Euro 88. In his first time coaching the Indonesian U23 team, he has led them to the final. In the semi-final against Thailand, Vanenburg lost his voice from shouting instructions to his players throughout the match and was unable to attend the post-match press conference.

"I'm better now," Gerald said with a smile. "But I think my players are good enough to play without needing too much direction from me on the field. I'm also sure they don't like being reminded too much by me."

Indonesian player Achmad Syarif also confidently affirmed his determination to win against Vietnam. "We are motivated by the home crowd. The whole team will try to play the football that the coach has built. We need to be patient and maintain discipline to score against Vietnam," he said.

The head-to-head record before the final favors Vietnam. Before the 6-5 penalty shootout victory in the 2023 final, since 2019, Vietnam has also defeated Indonesia 2-1 in the group stage and 3-0 in the final of the 2019 SEA Games, 1-0 in the 2020 AFC U23 Championship qualifiers, and 3-0 in the group stage of the 2021 SEA Games.

Conversely, Indonesia defeated Vietnam 1-0 in the semi-finals of the 2019 AFF U23 Championship and 3-2 in the semi-finals of the 2023 SEA Games.

VAR will be used in the final.

Duc Dong