Vietnam will take on four-time Asian champions Japan in the group stage of the 2023 Asian Cup in Qatar on Sunday.

The Vietnam-Japan game will be broadcast live on Vietnamese channel VTV5 and FPT Play.

The AFC Asian Cup is the primary association football competition contested by the senior men’s national teams of the members of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). 

It is the second-oldest continental football championship in the world after Copa America.

The Asian Cup is held every four years, from the 1956 edition in Hong Kong.

The 2023 edition opened with hosts Qatar beating Lebanon 3-0 in Group A on Friday.

Vietnam, which have participated in the Asian Cup twice since 1975, the year when the Southeast Asian nation was reunified, are assessed as the underdogs in this match, scheduled to kick off at Al Thumama Stadium at 6:30 pm (Vietnam time).

Football experts forecast that the Japanese squad will earn an outstanding victory over Vietnam in this game. 

Despite this, Vietnamese fans continue to place their trust in French coach Philippe Troussier, relying on his profound understanding of Japanese football, as well as expressing confidence in the capabilities of the national football players.

Troussier has an impressive history in Asian football, having taken Japan to the Asian Cup title in 2000, a success that also resulted in him being named the continent's coach of the year.

Two years later, he steered Japan to the last 16 of the World Cup on home soil, according to Reuters.

Vietnam are placed in Group D of the 2023 AFC Asian Cup together with strong rivals, including Japan, Iraq, and Indonesia.

After the match with Japan, Vietnam will face Indonesia at Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium in Doha at 9:30 pm on January 19.

They will compete against Iraq at Jassim bin Hamad Stadium at 6:30 pm on January 24.

The 2023 AFC Asian Cup is taking place through February 10 in Qatar, featuring 24 teams competing in a round-robin format in six groups.

The top two teams from each group, as well as the four best-performing third-placed teams, will advance to the round of 16.

Qatar, the reigning champions, are placed in Group A alongside China, Tajikistan, and Lebanon.

Group B features 2015 champions Australia along with Uzbekistan, Syria, and India while three-time champions Iran are slated to challenge the United Arab Emirates, Hong Kong, and Palestine in Group C.

South Korea encounter Malaysia, Jordan, and Bahrain in Group E, while Saudi Arabia, who have won the title three times, with the most recent in 1996, will play Thailand, Kyrgyzstan, and Oman in Group F.

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