Vietnam are on the Brink to Depose the Reigning AFF Championship Champs

Thailand vs Vietnam

Vietnam are on the verge of completing their revenge tour in the 2024 AFF Championship. The Golden Star Warriors won the first leg of their finals matchup against Thailand (2-1), and all they need to do is to avoid disaster in the second leg to reclaim the ASEAN crown, which will be held at the Rajamangala Stadium on Sunday night.

Despite trailing 2-1, Thailand do not need to panic since they’ve been in this situation before. The War Elephants will look to regroup and make a comeback to break the Viets’ hearts for the second consecutive time.

The pregame SBOTOP betting odds predict that the second leg will go down to the wire, so football fans are in for a huge treat. Without further ado, continue reading below for the second leg preview.

 

Talking Points

Thailand have heard this story before

Thailand kicked off their 2024 AFF Championship campaign in dominant fashion by winning all four of their group stage games. Masatada Ishii’s side notched a 10-0 victory over Timor Leste and followed up with a 1-0 victory over Malaysia, a 4-2 win over Singapore, and a 3-2 win over Cambodia.

However, the War Elephants were in a precarious position after losing 2-1 to the Philippines in the first leg of the semi-finals, as Kike Linares scored the late winner at the Rizal Memorial Stadium. To their credit, Thailand showed their championship mettle by beating the Philippines 3-1 in the second leg at home to advance, and they need a similar outcome when the Viets visit town this weekend.

The War Elephants will continue to rely heavily on the goalscoring exploits of Suphanat Mueanta and Patrik Gustavsson, their dynamic front duo. Mueanta and Gustavsson lead Thailand in scoring with four goals apiece in this tournament. Besides Mueanta and Gustavsson, manager Masatada Ishii can also call upon Teerasak Poeiphimai, Ben Davis, Akarapong Pumwisat, Peeradon Chamratsamee, Seksan Ratree, and Chalermsak Aukkee since they’ve combined for 13 goals in the competition.

 

Rafaelson heating up at the right time for Vietnam

Vietnam also went undefeated in the group stage with three wins and one draw, and they’re in the finals after whipping Singapore in the semi-finals. Rafaelson, aka Nguyen Xuan Son, is peaking at the right time for the Golden Star Warriors, as he has scored in four consecutive matches after going scoreless in the first three matches.

With seven goals, Rafaelson is the frontrunner for the tournament’s Golden Boot award. He registered his third brace in the last four games during Vietnam’s 2-1 first leg win over Thailand, and he’ll need to deliver another five-star performance to win the ASEAN crown (and the MVP honours) for Vietnam.

Besides Rafaelson, manager Kim Sang-Sik can also call upon Nguyen Tien Linh to produce. The Becamex Binh Duong striker scored twice in the semi-finals against Singapore to take his tally to four goals.

 

History

Thailand are the defending AFF Championship titlists after beating Vietnam in the 2022 final. After a 2-2 draw in the first leg, the War Elephants won 3-2 on aggregate after securing a 1-0 victory at the Thammasat Stadium, with Theerathon Bunmathan, who took home the MVP honours, scoring the matchwinner in the 24^th minute.

Thailand are the winningest team in the AFF Championship with seven championships, while Vietnam have two titles.

Vietnam won 2-1 in the first leg in this year’s rematch, their first victory over Thailand across all competitions since a 1-0 result in the 2019 King’s Cup semi-finals. The Golden Star Warriors lost to Curacao in the final via a penalty shootout. Meanwhile, the War Elephants settled for fourth place after losing to India in the third-place match.

 

Betting Tip

As mentioned, the AFF Championship 2025 odds expect a hard-fought contest between Thailand and Vietnam this Sunday. Because they’re playing at home, Thailand have a slight edge at 2.14 odds to win, whereas Vietnam are priced at 3.13, and a draw is at 2.80 in the 1X2 market.

Choosing the winner of this contest is tougher this time, but we’re guaranteed to get our fair share of AFF Championship 2025 highlights from this fixture. So, other than our recommended bet above, bettors can also go for alternatives like Over 2.00 at 1.70 and Over 2.25 at 2.01, while Total Goals 4-6 at 4.21 is a long shot.

If you fancy Thailand’s chances of making a comeback to win the AFF Championship, they need to secure a 2-0 or a 3-1 victory, priced at 8.60 and 19.00, respectively.

   

●●●

CHECK OUT OUR BLOG FOR MORE FOOTBALL STORIES & ODDS

Stay updated with everything sports and betting.

Follow us on social Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.