Goalkeeper Thanh Nam will be in the starting lineup in Wednesday’s clash with Thailand.

In the aftermath of an easy 4-2 victory over Malaysia, Vietnam’s U.21 team are raring to go in the upcoming clash with rival Thailand on Wednesday.

Head coach Quoc Tan said Hung performed poorly as he lacked experience on the big stage, having just been selected for the national U.21 team, and played tense in front of a large number of spectators.

At the National U.21 Football Championship a week ago, Hung had launched very good attacks with his goal kicks. Yet in the clash against Malaysia last Saturday, his leads couldn’t find teammates.

According to Tan, Hung is similar to other nervous young goalies facing big competitions and the coaching staff will be patient in nurturing hisconfidence through the tournament. But it is highly likely Thanh Nam will replace Hung in the wood in the next match against Thailand.

Nam is a tough-minded goalkeeper who had saved two shots to help the Ho Chi Minh City team defeat An Do An Giang in the penalty shootout in the 2008 National U.21 Football Championship semifinals.

Another concern for the coaching staff is midfielder Nguyen Sa who is nursing a knee injury suffered in the clash against Malaysia. If Sa can’t get ready on time, the Vietnamese side will have a hard time controlling midfield as Sa combines well with teammate Thanh Hung.

The Vietnamese coaching staff will probably put central fullback Phu in the midfield and throw Quoc Anh in to defend alongside Cao Cuong. However, Anh and Cuong have never played side by side on the defense, which may expose some chinks when trying to protect the new goalie.

“We are testing players to solve the problem ahead of the game against Thailand,” head coach Tan told Thanh Nien after the training session yesterday. “We must be strong in our backfield to dominate the group stage.” Meanwhile, Malaysia will clash with Thailand this evening in what is expected to be a hard-fought battle since the former squad must win to keep its hopes alive.

Yesterday, the Malaysian team held a meeting after its loss to Vietnam. Malaysia’s head coach Rajagopal Krishnasamy was dissatisfied with his players’ performances and vowed to make some changes.

Krishnasamy said he would consolidate the defense and change one or two players in the midfield to strengthen the team. Up front, Malaysia will depend on striker Bin Saarani who scored a goal in the match against Vietnam.

But Thailand is a powerhouse with goalkeeper, Samuel Por Cunningham, who was voted the best goalkeeper at the first International U.21 Football Tournament – Thanh Nien newspaper’s Cup 2007.

Thailand’s head coach Kawin Kachendecha said: “I can’t comment on Malaysia because I have watched them play for just 45 minutes. But our players will be ready to go with their best performance.”

Reported by Quang Huy