Vietnam are looking to defeat Jordan in their second group stage match to gain an advantage ahead of their final clash at the 2020 AFC U23 Championship in Thailand on Monday.

The junior Golden Dragons drew 0-0 against heavyweights the UAE in the opening game of Group D on Friday last week.

It was a difficult clash for both sides as they exerted a lot of effort and missed certain chances.

“It was a very difficult match indeed with UAE being strong opponents. But we are happy with this result as it is our first match here, so I think one point is acceptable,” Vietnam’s playmaker Nguyen Quang Hai was quoted as saying in an article posted on the website of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) on Sunday.

“…a draw was a fair result.”

Jordan have proved to be a tough side after they beat North Korea 2-1 in the other game of Group D on Friday.

“We need to win the next match, so hopefully the team will improve and get a positive result," Hai told AFC.

A win over Jordan will earn Vietnam an advantage prior to their clash with North Korea in the final group game on Thursday.

Star defender Tran Dinh Trong is expected to replace Huynh Tan Sinh in the starting line-up of Vietnam in the encounter with Jordan at Buriram Stadium in Buriram Province.

Sinh made several mistakes in the UAE game and was given a yellow card before head coach Park Hang Seo substituted him with Trong, who had been injured for six months.

Trong pleased Park during his 40 minutes on the field.

Ho Tan Tai is also to join the squad on the right flank to add strength to Vietnamese offense. Tai was out on a suspension penalty in the first match.

“I will have better options thanks to Tai’s return,” Park said.

Vietnam are very strong opponents and they squeezed the UAE in the last 10 minutes, Jordan’s head coach Abdel-Qader said ahead of the game tonight, referring to their continuous attacks in the dying moments, including a close-range shot by Nguyen Tien Linh which was denied by goalkeeper Mohammed Al Shamsi in the 86th minute.

Many Jordanian players believed that the Vietnam game would be far tougher than their match with North Korea.

Jordan now sit atop Group D on three points, followed by Vietnam on one, the UAE on one, and North Korea on zero points.

The Vietnam-Jordan game will be broadcast live on national TV channel VTV6 at 8:15 pm.

Vietnam finished second at the 2018 AFC U23 Championship in China, where they lost 1-2 to Uzbekistan in extra time of the finale under heavy snow.

This year’s tourney takes place at four venues in Thailand between January 8 and 26, featuring 16 teams from across Asia.

The 2020 edition doubles as the qualifying round for men’s football at the Olympic Games in Tokyo later this year.

Japan were already eliminated after suffering a 1-2 defeat at the hands of Syria in Group B on Sunday, so the championship's top three teams will book a ticket to Tokyo 2020.  

Vietnam have never qualified for men’s football at an Olympics edition.

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