Vietnamese players train at the Buyant Ukhaa stadium in Ulaanbaatar on October 6. They will play Mongolia in the opener of Group D at the AFC Futsal Asian Cup 2024 qualification. Photo of VFF

HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam is well prepared ahead of the AFC Futsal Asian Cup 2024 qualifications which begins on October 7 in Mongolia.

Coach Diego Giustozzi and his players will face South Korea, Nepal and the hosts in Group D in which they expect to top and ensure a place in the finals.

The national team with the 15 best players arrived in the country on October 4 and had two days training at the competition venue of Buyant Ukhaa stadium in Ulaanbaatar. 

Among the players are world top 10 goalkeeper Hồ Văn Ý, national Bronze Ball holder Châu Đoàn Phát, captain Phạm Đức Hòa and veteran forwards Nguyễn Minh Trí and Trần Thái Huy.

They will be supported by newcomers including goalie Nguyễn Hữu Phúc, defenders Đào Minh Quảng and Đinh Công Viên and forwards Nguyễn Mạnh Dũng and Ngô Ngọc Sơn.

"Buyant Ukhaa's court surface is made of wood so it is quite slippery, the ball's rolling speed is also faster and significantly affects the players' ball control and finishes," said team manager Trần Anh Minh.

"However, we have prepared well and set the highest determination for the tournament. We want to secure all three wins for the top place in the group," he said.

In preparation for the qualifier, Việt Nam players trained since early September. They had two friendly matches with quality teams. They lost 1-4 to World No 28 Hungary and tied the World No 4 Russia 3-3.

Earlier, the team also enjoyed a training camp in South America where they played Paraguay and Argentina in June.

Coach Giustozzi was pleased with his team's preparations and said players gradually met his requirements and followed his playing style, getting better and better. They were confident to play against strong opponents.

A total of 31 contenders will battle for the 15 spots to join Thailand ahead of next year’s Finals in the qualification campaign to be held across eight centralised venues from October 7 to 11.

Việt Nam will play Mongolia on October 7; Nepal on October 9 and South Korea two days later.

The strongest team from each group and the seven best second-placed sides will join hosts Thailand in the finals from April 17 to 28, 2024. — VNS