REASON Thailand and Vietnam are not favorites to win 2022 AFF U-23 Cup though Indonesian National Team U-23 backwards will be discussed in this article. Competing countries were practically happy when they learned that the U-23 Indonesian National Team had withdrawn from the 2022 AFF U-23 Cup.
Because, the U-23 Indonesian National Team is the main seed in this biennial event. In addition to being handled by coaches like Shin Tae-yong, the Garuda Muda squad is strengthened by experienced players such as Rachmat Irianto and Pratama Arhan.
(Indonesian U-23 National Team withdrew from 2022 AFF U-23 Cup)
Even though the U-23 Indonesian National Team has withdrawn from the 2022 AFF U-23 Cup, it doesn’t mean that Thailand and Vietnam are champions. The reason is because Thailand and Vietnam did not lower their U-23 squad.
The Thai national team came with the U-19 squad. Since the U-19s are down, the oldest personnel in their squad is only 18 years old.
Meanwhile, Vietnam fielded the U-21 squad. None of their U-23 players who qualified Vietnam for the 2022 U-23 Asian Cup took part in the 2022 AFF U-23 Cup.
At the same time, the Malaysia U-23 national team fielded their best players, minus Luqman Hakim who played with KV Kortrijk (the top caste club of the Belgian League).
These players helped the Malaysian national team qualify for the 2022 U-23 Asian Cup. Just to note, the U-23 Malaysia national team performed impressively when they performed in the 2022 U-23 Asian Cup Qualification in mid October 2021. Joined in Group J with Thailand, Mongolia and Laos, Malaysia played effectively.
(Malaysia U-23 National Team is a candidate to win the 2022 AFF U-23 Cup)
As a result, they each won 1-0 over Laos and Mongolia. Meanwhile, against Thailand, the score was as strong as 0-0. As a result, the Malaysia U-23 national team finished as group winners with a collection of seven points and was entitled to qualify for the 2022 U-23 Asian Cup.
The Malaysian star player to watch out for is Nur Azfar Fikri Azhar. The midfielder belonging to Terengganu II FC scored all of Malaysia’s goals during the 2022 U-23 Asian Cup Qualifiers.
The 2022 AFF U-23 Cup itself is divided into three groups. Group A contains four teams, while Groups B and C are only occupied by three or three teams. Later, only the group winners will automatically qualify for the semifinals 2022 AFF U-23 Cup. Meanwhile, the three runners-up positions competed to find the best second-ranked slot.
The following is the division of the Group in the 2022 AFF U-23 Cup:
Group A
Cambodia
East Timor
Filipina
Brunei
Group B
Malaysia
Myanmar
Laos
Group C
Thailand
Vietnam
Singapore
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