BAPTISM OF FIRE FOR CAMBODIA U23

The BIDC Cup is a four-team tournament with the other two being the Laos U23 side and another V-League side Vissai Ninh Binh.

All matches are to be played at the National Olympic Stadium in Phnom Penh.

And the Cambodia U23 side will have a lot to show for in the meet considering that the last time they set foot at the National Olympic Stadium, it resulted in a 6-0 defeat for the hosts at the hands of their counterparts from Singapore.

While they set sights firmly at the SEA Games in Laos next month, they realised that it is important for them to do well in the BIDC Cup as it will gauge their fitness and match competitiveness.

The Cambodian U23 had just returned from a month-long training camp in Vietnam with a strict training regimen at the Thanh Long training facility outside Ho Chi Minh City.

The team played a total of five practice matches against local oppositions.

“The benefits of our stay in Vietnam have been that I’ve got to know the players better, particularly the ones that I have never worked with before. I think the players have also got to know each other better, having spent so much time together,” said Cambodia head coach Scott O’Donell.

“But more importantly, it has allowed me to use this past month to get the players fitter than what they were before we arrived in Vietnam, and to get them thinking on the same wavelength as me regarding how I want them to play.

“Having said that, anyone who thinks that a one month’s training camp in Vietnam can make up for the lack of coaching, training and regular international exposure these players have received in recent years is kidding themselves.

“Ideally, the coaching staff should have spent this past month fine-tuning for the BIDC Cup and SEA Games, but instead have spent half the time getting the players to fitness levels required to play international football, and the other half of the time getting the players to understand how we want them to play.”

O’Donell’s goal-scoring options have been boosted by the return to fitness of striker Khim Borey, the winner of the Cambodia Premier League’s Golden Boot winner in 2008 and who missed most of last season with an ankle injury.

HAGL, twice winners of the V-League and cup double in the last decade, finished sixth last season but are expected to push for honours next time around and have a smattering of foreign imports in their squad from Brazil, Thailand, Czechoslovakia and Ghana.

“HAGL are going to be a huge test for the boys. Obviously, they are one of the better teams in Vietnam’s professional V-League,” added O’Donell

“My expectations are the same for every game that we play, whether it be a friendly game or a competitive game. I want the players to go out and try to play good football, and to do the best they can.

“If every player can come off the field knowing they have given their very best, then I cannot ask for any more. The BIDC Cup will be a good guide for me to see the players performing under pressure in a competitive environment against good-quality teams.”

FIXTURES

8 NOVEMBER: Vissai Ninh Binh vs Laos U23 (3:30pm)/ HAGL vs Cambodia U23 (6pm)

10 NOVEMBER: Vissai Ninh Binh vs HAGL (3:30pm)/ Cambodia U23 vs Laos U23 (6pm)

12 NOVEMBER: Laos U23 vs HAGL (3:30pm)/ Cambodia U23 vs Vissai Ninh Binh (6pm)

14 NOVEMBER: 3rd place playoff (3:30pm)/ Final (6pm)