Faced With Vietnam In The Inaugural Match Of The Hanoi Sea Games, The U-23 Indonesian National Team Minus Elkan Baggott And Asnawi Mangkualam

Elkan Baggot with U-23 national team players in a training session. (Photo: Instagram @elkanbaggott)

JAKARTA — The Indonesian U-23 national team will face Vietnam in the inaugural Group A match of the Hanoi 2021 SEA Games. The Garuda squad cannot yet be strengthened by Elkan Baggott and Asnawi Mangkualam.

The duel between Indonesia versus Vietnam will take place on Friday, May 6 tomorrow. The match will take place at Viet Tri Stadium, Phu Tho, at 19.00 WIB.

"However, the current 18 players are ready for combat and will work hard in the match later. Hopefully at the 2021 SEA Games, Indonesia can win gold in football," said PSSI General Chair Mochamad Iriawan on the federation's website, Thursday 5 May.

The Indonesian and Vietnamese national teams hold the leading status in Group A. For this reason, the meeting between the two teams is expected to be fierce.

Iriawan said that he was optimistic that Indonesia could get the maximum score even though there were no mainstay players. The reason is, Shin Tae-yong's squad is currently in a combat-ready condition.

"Moreover, the game continues to improve after undergoing training camp in South Korea," said the figure who is usually called Iwan Bule.

Garuda Muda has arrived in Vietnam since Tuesday, May 3 yesterday. After arriving there, they immediately finalized their tactics and strategy on Wednesday, May 4, at Bai Bang Square, Phu Tho.

In addition to Vietnam, Group A is filled with Timor Leste, the Philippines, and Myanmar. Indonesia is pegged to bring home a gold medal after in the previous edition in the Philippines 2019 and then got a silver.