Laos coach thanks Mr. Duc, hopes to surprise Thailand

Head coach Vladica Grujic expressed satisfaction after the training camp in Pleiku and thanked Mr. Duc and HAGL Club for their support to the Laos team.

"I would like to express my deepest gratitude to Mr. Doan Nguyen Duc and all members of HAGL Club. The warm welcome and dedicated support over the past half month have laid the foundation for the Laos team to have the best preparation for the ASEAN Hyundai Cup 2026.

"During the two weeks here, I felt the friendliness of the Vietnamese people, and everyone was always ready to create conditions for the Laos team to train in a professional environment," the Serbian coach shared.

Evaluating the preparation process, Coach Grujic said the players have made significant progress in physical fitness and playing style after four friendly matches in Gia Lai.

Looking ahead to the opening match against Thailand on July 25, he affirmed: "Thailand is a very strong opponent, but we have home advantage. Laos's goal is to get points and hope that the progress after the training camp at Ham Rong will help the team create a surprise."

The Laos team has concluded the training camp in Pleiku and will return to Vientiane on the evening of July 15 to complete the final preparations ahead of the ASEAN Hyundai Cup 2026.

The Lao Football Federation (LFF) thanked HAGL Club for the thoughtful support throughout the team's stay and training. According to LFF, the Laos team was provided with all favorable conditions regarding accommodation, training fields, and nutrition during the training camp in Pleiku.

The training camp in Vietnam is an important part of the preparation process of Coach Ha Hyeok Jun's team for the Southeast Asian championship. During nearly two weeks in Gia Lai, the Laos team combined physical training, perfecting playing style, and playing friendly matches to assess the squad before the tournament.

In the ASEAN Hyundai Cup 2026, the Laos team is in Group B with Thailand, Malaysia, Philippines, and Myanmar. The team will make their debut at home when hosting Thailand at 20:00 on July 25 at the Lao National Stadium (KM16).

This is predicted to be a big challenge for the hosts in their journey to compete for a ticket to the semifinals.