Vietnam have a marginal edge, having conceded one goal less but will be wary of a Myanmar side they are very familiar with. 

Their most recent meeting was in the Final Round of the Women’s Olympic Qualifiers in 2020, but Vietnam head coach Mai Duc Chung believes Myanmar hold the upper hand this time around as his squad has been heavily affected by COVID-19. 

“We will still keep fighting and prepare everything for the last match, it’s very important,” said Mai. 

“I would, however, say that Myanmar are more lucky compared to us because they were not affected by COVID, but we will still do our best to get the three points.”

Both teams opted for a defensive approach against Japan and Korea Republic but Mai hinted at a complete change in playstyle against Myanmar. 

“Japan is one of the top ranked teams in the world, and are very strong. So our players played mostly defence and only had a few opportunities to score. 

“When playing against two strong opponents, Vietnam and Myanmar both had to play defensively, but when we play our final match, both teams might play an attacking game. We’re about the same level in Southeast Asia, so we understand our opponents well.”

Myanmar, meanwhile, showed significant improvement from their opening day 5-0 loss to Japan to hold Korea Republic to a goalless first half on Matchday Two, but a drop in concentration saw them concede twice after the break. 

Assistant head coach Bo Bo Aung said his side won’t be lacking confidence when facing their regional rivals in Navi Mumbai. 

“We worked on our mistakes from the match with Japan, and the head coach also gave some instructions,” said Bo. “Our performance wasn’t bad, but we conceded goals when our concentration was low. 

“There’s no pressure. We’ve already faced the strongest teams, so we’ve got enough confidence for the upcoming match.”

VIETNAM v MYANMAR
Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex, Pune
Kick-off: 13:30 hours (UTC5:30)