• Vietnam to play Japan in October

Under the leadership of German coach Falko Goetz, the Vietnamese team is very hopeful after claiming convincing wins in the 2014 World Cup’s qualifiers.

Though midfield defender Minh Duc could not join the match due to his injury, 20 Vietnamese footballers are healthy and in a high combative spirit.

Japan’s U23 team under Italian coach Alberto Zaccheroni is considered a strong rival to Vietnam as it has many outstanding players who are playing for some clubs in Europe, such as defender Yuto Nagamoto from Inter Milan, midfielder Shinji Kagawa from Borussia Dortmund, striker Makoto Hasebe from VfB Stuttgart, and goal keeper Eiji Kawashima from Lierse SK.

The friendly match is scheduled to kick off at 19.45 (Japan time) on October 7.