Doha: Kuwait will face Vietnam with both teams determined to kick off their respective AFC U23 Asian Cup Qatar 2024 Group D campaigns with a win at the Al Janoub Stadium on Wednesday.
With Uzbekistan and Malaysia also in the group, a win for either side will give them an early advantage in the race for a quarter-final spot with the tournament also serving as the qualifier for the Paris Olympic Games.
Kuwait head coach Emilio Peixe hopes to lead the team to the qualifying rounds for the first time, relying on a group of promising players, including striker Salman Mohammed, who scored four goals in the qualifiers, and Mohsen Falah and Sultan Al Faraj.
With seven players from the senior team, including Nguyen Thi Son and Quant Van Cang, in the squad, Vietnam recorded its best achievement in 2018 by occupying second place in the tournament and also reached the knockout rounds for the second time in 2022, when it reached the quarter-finals.
In the same group, the Uzbek team, champion of the 2018 edition and ru
nner-up in the previous edition, will meet Malaysian team which is making its third continental appearance at Khalifa Stadium.
After reaching the semi-finals in the past three editions, Uzbekistan seeks to go far in the sixth edition, where 19-year-old Fayzullaev will be part of the strongest midfield in the tournament, along with Khojimat Erkinov and Diyor Kholmatov.
Source: Qatar News Agency