Vietnam close Group B of the FIFA ASEAN Cup against Pakistan in Jakarta this Friday, kicking off at 17:00 KST. Only the group winner reaches the final, and the runner-up goes to the bronze final. Thailand have already taken top spot with two wins. Vietnam sit second after beating the Philippines by a single goal and losing to Thailand, so a draw is enough for second place. The match gives them a reason to secure a result, not to run up a score.
Vietnam's attack is also not what their summer results suggest. Coach Kim Sang-sik confirmed that striker Nguyen Xuan Son, one of their main goal sources, has left the squad injured; vietnam.vn reports a hamstring problem. Without him, Vietnam scored once across their two group games. Their big wins earlier in the year came in an ASEAN Cup played outside the FIFA window. Kim himself said that this time every team has called up its best players.
Pakistan are the lowest-ranked side in the group, but they have shown they can absorb pressure. They held Thailand goalless for half an hour. Against the Philippines they came back from two goals down at half-time to draw, through Ali Khan and Abdul Arshad. In eight of their last ten matches they conceded two or fewer. A Pakistan win could still keep them in the hunt, so they have something to play for.
Put together: a Vietnam side with a point to protect and no main striker, against a deep block that has not collapsed in this tournament. I expect Vietnam to win by a narrow margin rather than a rout.
