As part of their preparations for the home match against Malaysia in the final round of the Asian Cup 2027 qualifiers, the Vietnam national team will warm up with a friendly against Bangladesh in March.

The Vietnam vs Bangladesh friendly is scheduled for March 26 and is viewed as an important stepping stone for coach Kim Sang Sik and his players ahead of their encounter with Malaysia in the Asian Cup 2027 qualifying round, set for March 31 at Thien Truong Stadium in Ninh Binh.

Bangladesh, known by the nickname “The Bengal Tigers,” are among the representative teams of South Asia and regularly participate in competitions organized by the AFC.

In their two most recent matches, Bangladesh drew 2-2 with Nepal in a friendly and defeated India 1-0 in the Asian Cup 2027 qualifiers. With improving form in recent months, they are considered capable of providing the necessary challenge for Vietnam during this preparatory phase before the rematch with Malaysia.

Choosing Bangladesh as a friendly opponent is seen as a suitable professional decision, allowing the Vietnam coaching staff to review the squad and experiment with personnel ahead of the official match against Malaysia.

To prepare for this friendly and, more importantly, the clash with Malaysia, the Vietnam national team are set to regroup on March 17 or 18. Coach Kim Sang Sik is expected to make several personnel changes compared to the previous training camp, notably with the possible return of Xuan Son, Van Hau and some young faces from the Vietnam U23 squad.

Dai Nam