Việt Nam national team striker Nguyễn Văn Toàn said that the team has prepared both mentally and physically for the decisive matches against Indonesia, Malaysia and the UAE in the group G of the 2022 World Cup Qualifier. — Photo thanhnien.vn

HÀ NỘI — Striker Nguyễn Văn Toàn has said Việt Nam's Southeast Asian rivals Indonesia and Malaysia have become stronger ahead of next week's crunch World Cup qualifiers.

Việt Nam is currently on top of Group G, with the remaining opponents are Indonesia, Malaysia and the UAE.

"For me, Indonesia has always been a very difficult opponent. Meanwhile, Malaysia has become much stronger,” Văn Toàn said.

“Although in the first match we won 3-1, for this second match they have changed almost the entire squad and we don't have much information about Indonesia.

“However, we have analysed videos of some of their players. I hope in the next matches Việt Nam will be confident and play well.

“As for Malaysia, I think they have grown a lot after adding many naturalised players. However, Việt Nam will still be confident in the match against this opponent," said the 25-year-old.

The Hoàng Anh Gia Lai’s man also talked about his fight for a slot in the starting lineup.

“In my opinion whoever is in the better, a more stable form will be selected,” Toàn said.  

“Currently, the national team has many good attackers and we currently have many players who are in very good form, so the competition between us is obvious.

“Werther it’s a 3-5-2 or 3-4-3 formation, it's not difficult for me to adapt as I’m used to playing in these formations. I think I can fit into any formation.

“However, we still have a lot of things to improve, such as finishing ability or needing to play more consistently.

“I hope we will play well in the next matches to respond to the love and expectations of the home fans.”

According to Toàn, the whole team is physically and mentally strong.

Injured players like Đỗ Duy Mạnh, Trần Đình Trọng and Trần Minh Vương were recently able to return to full training.

Currently, Việt Nam have 11 points after five matches with Malaysia second on nine points, followed by Thailand with eight, the UAE on six and Indonesia with zero.

Việt Nam will face Indonesia on June 7, Malaysia on June 11 and the UAE on June 15. — VNS