Calisto: Defensive move not an option

Kuala Lumpur: Henrique Calisto has vowed not to send his injury- and suspension-hit Vietnam side out to play defensively when they face Malaysia in the first leg of their AFF Suzuki Cup semi-final at Bukit Jalil Stadium on Wednesday evening. 

The Portuguese coach will be forced into making four changes for the meeting with the Malaysians as Vietnam eye a second straight appearance in the final of the regional competition. 

Huynh Quang Thanh is definitely ruled out with a knee injury while defender Doan Viet Cuong is also a major doubt and midfielder Phan Van Tai Em is also unlikely to start. 

The injured trio join Nguyen Trong Hoang – who was sent off in the final group game against Singapore for two bookable offences and is suspended – in missing the first leg of the semi-final but Calisto has no plans to take a defensive approach ahead of the return in Hanoi on Saturday. 

"If I put out a defensive team on the field, it can be a draw but you are also nearer to losing," he said. 

"We play game-by-game and we face our opponents when we have the ball and we must go with the ball and be organised and consistent. When we don't have the ball, we have to fight. 

"Many people say we are favourites but if you look at the team that beat Thailand in the final (in 2008), tomorrow there will be only four players playing for Vietnam compared to two years ago. 

"We have lost seven players, so it's a different team but the philosophy is the same. 

"I think, sincerely, (the injured players) cannot play because if they play they're not quite 100 percent and in a semi-final if you are not 100 percent then you cannot play. 

"There is a chance for Tai Em but it's only a slim chance." 

The loss of several key players – in addition to the long-term absence of key striker Le Cong Vinh, who has missed the entire tournament with a knee injury – has left Calisto hoping the Malaysians perform defensively in a similar manner to how they played in their opening game of the AFF Suzuki Cup. 

Then, a series of individual mistakes at the back cost K. Rajagopal's team severely against Indonesia, who ran out 5-1 winners at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium two weeks ago. 

But the Vietnam coach knows his team could be in for a challenging evening in front of a large crowd at the Bukit Jalil Stadium, especially if the improvements made by the Malaysians later in the group stages continue. 

"I don't know which defence will appear," said Calisto. "The Malaysia defence that played in the first game against Indonesia made many errors but against Thailand they were very consistent. 

"If they are the same as they were against Indonesia we have more of a chance to win, so I'm hoping that they can play the same way and we have a chance tow in. 

"They made a lot of individual errors but the tactics, the organisation is the same, they're good. They go on the attack in a clever way and they are a dangerous team."