Dong A Thanh Hoá Club aims for a strong start at the ASEAN Club Championship – Shopee Cup
At the press conference before their debut match in the ASEAN Club Championship – Shopee Cup 2024/25, Coach Popov Velizar Emilov of Dong A Thanh Hoa Club stated that he and the entire team will do their utmost to achieve a strong start in their first-ever participation in the regional tournament.
21/08/2024 16:29:41
The opponent of Dong A Thanh Hoa Club in their opening match of Group A is Shan United from Myanmar. Coach Popov Velizar Emilov, who previously worked with Myanmar football before moving to Vietnam to coach in the V.League, expressed his pleasure at having the opportunity to face players he knows well. However, the Bulgarian strategist also honestly acknowledged that Dong A Thanh Hoa Club will face many challenges despite playing on home turf. “The reality is that we are at a disadvantage because we are currently focusing on physical conditioning to prepare for the V.League. Meanwhile, Shan United benefits from the fact that their domestic league is already underway, and their players are in better competitive form. Nevertheless, we will do our best to achieve the best possible result,” Coach Popov Velizar Emilov assessed.
Joining Coach Popov Velizar Emilov at the press conference, midfielder Lê Quốc Phương expressed his excitement about returning to international competition after several years. Lê Quốc Phương said: “Although we are in a period of physical and tactical preparation, we will always play according to the coach’s philosophy and strive to deliver attractive football with a strong desire to win. This is our first match at home, marking the beginning of the new season, so the team’s spirit is very high.”
On the other side, Coach Myo Hlaing Win of Shan United stated that the match against the home team, Dong A Thanh Hoa Club, will be a challenging one for the Myanmar champions. “They have talented players, and their coach, Mr. Popov, is experienced and very knowledgeable about Myanmar football. I don’t want to make any predictions about the outcome because football is unpredictable. We will focus on our own performance and hope for a good result.”
The match between Dong A Thanh Hoa Club and Shan United will take place at 18:00 tomorrow (August 21) at Thanh Hoa Stadium. In Group A, besides Shan United, Thanh Hoá East Asia Club will also face challenges from BG Pathum United (Thailand), Terengganu FC (Malaysia), PSM Makassar FC (Indonesia), and Svay Rieng (Cambodia).
In the group stage, teams will play a round-robin format, with points determining the standings. The top two teams from each group will advance to the semi-finals.
