Raven (third from left) caused concern among Indonesian fans after suffering an injury late in the semi-final victory against Thailand on 25/7. He limped and appeared unsteady during the penalty shootout. Afterwards, the Dutch-Indonesian forward had to use a wheelchair to board the team bus.

Indonesia has been tight-lipped about the 2005-born striker's condition. At today's training session, he appeared on the pitch with his right calf heavily taped. He wore his football boots and participated in exercises alongside his teammates.

During the group stage, Raven was diagnosed with a knee injury but continued to play.

Raven has scored 7 of Indonesia's 10 goals in the tournament. 6 of those came in the opening 8-0 win over Brunei, while the other was the equalizer in the 1-1 draw against Thailand.

Raven is of Indonesian and Dutch descent. He obtained Indonesian citizenship in June 2024. Since then, Raven has scored 8 goals in 17 matches for the Indonesian U19 and U20 teams. He contributed to the U19 AFF Championship title in 2024.

In addition to Raven, Indonesia is also uncertain about the availability of midfielders Arkhan Fikri and Toni Firmansyah due to injuries.

Indonesia is considered to be at a physical disadvantage compared to Vietnam, having played four matches, including tough encounters against the Philippines, Malaysia, and Thailand. They also played 120 minutes plus penalties in the semi-final.

Meanwhile, Vietnam has only played three matches, with the most challenging being the semi-final against the Philippines. Coach Kim Sang-sik acknowledged this as a slight advantage for Vietnam, but noted that the opponent has home advantage.

With three days of rest, the young Indonesian players are expected to have sufficient time to recover and prepare for the final.

Coach Gerald Vanenburg (left) lost his voice after the semi-final and did not attend the post-match press conference. Today, at the pre-final press conference, the Dutch coach still spoke with a hoarse voice. This could indirectly affect his ability to manage the team during the match.

Vanenburg came to Indonesia as an assistant to the national team coach Patrick Kluivert before being appointed to lead the U23 team. His previous coaching career was not particularly distinguished, mainly focusing on youth development in the Netherlands.

Vanenburg's playing career was more notable. The former striker, born in 1964, played 42 matches for the Dutch national team. He was a contemporary of the "Dutch trio" of Marco Van Basten, Ruud Gullit, and Frank Rijkaard, and was part of the Euro 1988 winning squad.

Goalkeeper Ernando Ari Sutaryadi trained with the coach. He was named the player of the match in the semi-final, which included saving the final penalty from Yotsakorn Burapha to secure Indonesia's 7-6 win against Thailand.

Indonesia is confident should the final against Vietnam also go to penalties. However, coach Vanenburg wants his players to decide the match within regulation time.

Indonesia is in a relaxed mood ahead of the crucial match. The players are eager to avenge their defeat against Vietnam in the final of the previous tournament in 2023, which they lost on penalties.

This is also the third time Indonesia has reached the AFF U23 Championship final in the last four editions, having won the title in 2019. If they win this time, Indonesia will dominate Southeast Asian football at the youth level, as they currently hold the gold medal from the 32nd SEA Games and the 2019 AFF U19 Championship.

Hieu Luong