Spanish Coach Makes Unexpected Decision to Secure Victory Against Vietnam U23

Coach Antonio Puche has opted to field the U23 lineup rather than China's U21 team for the match against Vietnam U23.

On March 20th morning, the Chinese Football Association officially announced the call-up list for the national U23 team to prepare for the CFA Team China Cup 2026. In the upcoming tournament, China U23 will successively face familiar regional and continental opponents such as Vietnam U23, Thailand U23, and North Korea U23, promising to create noteworthy competitive encounters.

Contrary to recent media predictions that the host team would use a U21 squad for experimentation, China U23 is bringing a very strong lineup to the competition. This decision clearly demonstrates their ambition to achieve good results on home ground while maintaining squad stability.

The announced list includes 25 players, many of whom recently participated in the AFC U23 Asian Cup 2026 finals. This is also the tournament where China U23 previously displayed impressive form, notably with a 3-0 victory over Vietnam U23 in the semifinals, thereby affirming the strength of the current generation of players.

Among the notable players, striker Xiang Yuwang continues to be included after making a strong impression with a high-quality goal against Vietnam U23. Additionally, midfielder Peng Xiao – who scored the opening goal against Vietnam U23 in January – is also expected to continue playing a crucial role in the team's tactics.

Furthermore, the China U23 squad possesses other quality names such as Zhu Pengyu, Bao Shengxin, He Yiran, and Li Zhengquan. Notably, Wang Bohao – the only player currently competing in Europe (Netherlands) – has also been called up by Coach Puche, adding depth and experience to the team roster.

China's deployment of a strong squad clearly poses a major challenge for Vietnam U23. Meanwhile, Coach Đinh Hồng Vinh is mainly utilizing players from the U21 age group because many U23 key players have been called up to the national team. The disparity in experience and squad strength lowers the estimated potential for Vietnam U23 to surprise the host team, though football always contains unpredictable elements.

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