Vietnam are considered the underdogs in their opening Group H match against Iran at the 2014 Asian Games on Monday, according to Toshiya Miura, coach of the Vietnamese side.   

Under-23 players will clash against one another in this match at 3:00 pm (Vietnam time) at the Games, being held in Incheon, South Korea from September 19 to October 4. 

“I don’t know much about the Iranian team, but they are a force in Asia and I believe they are stronger than Vietnam,” Miura said.

The Vietnamese men will try their best in the encounter with Iran, he added. The clash will be a chance to assess the ability and strength of the Vietnamese side, the Japanese-born coach said.

Vietnam beat Bangladesh 4-2 in a friendly game last Wednesday in South Korea.

In the meantime, Portuguese coach Nelo Vingada, who leads the Iran squad, said he has learned a lot about his rivals.

Vietnamese footballers are swift and fast, but it seems that they do not have the advantage in fitness and strength, Vingada remarked.

The team that can best use their advantage will win in the upcoming confrontation, he added.

Miura’s men, however, possess another advantage, which is their Japanese coach, Vingada said, further explaining that any Japanese coach is a dangerous rival in tactics and in preserving morale during a game. At the 2010 Asian Games in China, the Vietnamese under-23 football team lost to Iran 0-1 in the group stage.

Besides Vietnam and Iran, Kyrgyzstan fills out Group H in the draw.

Vietnam has sent a delegation of 199 athletes and 99 officials to the 2014 Asian Games. The athletes will compete in 21 sports.

The 17th edition of the Asian Games is the largest sporting competition in Asia, featuring 439 events in 36 sports.

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