Coach and players of the Vietnamese team practice on the field. (Source: VFF)

In the list of 26 Syrian players gathered for the match against the Vietnamese team, fans saw the absence of many key players for various reasons. The most important player of the Syrian team, Omar Khribin, could not join the team because he was busy with paperwork for his family to settle in Germany.

Omar Khribin is the top scorer for the Syrian national team with 21 goals. In addition, this striker is also the only Syrian player to win the Asian Footballer of the Year award in 2017.

Besides Omar Khribin, the Syrian team also does not have the services of a series of other key players such as Muhammad al-Hallaq, Mohammed Osman, Abd al-Rahman Weiss and Simon Amin due to injury.

However, the Syrian squad coming to Vietnam is still quite strong with 15 players playing abroad including Omar Al-Soma, Mahmoud Mawas, Fahd Al-Youssef, Khaled Kardaghli, Moayad Ajan, Amr Midani, Fares Arnaout, Youssef Muhammad, Muhammad Anz, Kamel Himisha, Muhammad Marmour, Hossam Ayesh, Mardik Mardakian and Yassin Samia.

In addition, Syria also has 11 players competing domestically: Ibrahim Alama, Ahmed Madaniyeh, Shaher Al-Shaher, Taha Musa, Thaer Kroma, Moayad Khouli, Amr Janiyat, Hussein Juwaid, Ahmed Al-Ashqar, Mustafa Junaid and Alaa Al-Dali.

Coach Hector Cuper also introduced player Moody Najjar, who is being targeted by the Australian team. To avoid Moody Najjar choosing to play for the Australian team, Coach Hector Cuper wanted to take this opportunity to introduce the young talent to the Syrian team.

The Syrian team has a strong, fast and technically sound playing style. During the FIFA Days in March, the team defeated Thailand 3-1. If they win against Syria, the Vietnamese team will significantly improve their position in the FIFA rankings.