U19 Indonesia coach urges his players to stay focused before facing U19 Vietnam

Coach Nova Arianto insists that U19 Indonesia stay locked in for their clash with Myanmar at the 2026 ASEAN U19 Championship before taking on U19 Vietnam in the last group round encounter.

Playing the opening game is never a walk in the park for any team, and U19 Indonesia is no exception.

U19 Indonesia will face U19 Myanmar in the first match of Group A at the 2026 ASEAN U19 Championship.

U19 Indonesia head coach Nova Arianto is fully aware of that. He views the match scheduled for 8:00 PM on June 1st at the main stadium in North Sumatra, Deli Serdang, as a tough challenge.

Speaking to Bola.com, Coach Nova said the coaching staff is using the remaining preparation time to the fullest to analyze the opponent's strength, including studying video footage of Myanmar's matches.

"The opening match is always tough. In these last three days of preparation, we are focusing on tactical aspects to counter Myanmar. We have obtained several videos of Myanmar and hope that will help the players adapt better when entering the game."

According to Coach Nova Arianto, the first match of a tournament usually puts significant pressure on the players. Hence, every team needs to adapt quickly to what happens on the pitch.

"In football, we never know what can happen. During the match there may be tactical changes, formation adjustments. I hope the players can adapt to any situation in the game."

Coach Nova also mentioned how opening matches at the international level are often very difficult, citing Indonesia's participation in the 2025 U17 Asian Cup finals. He believes psychological pressure must be anticipated from the very beginning.

"The first match always carries a lot of pressure. We felt that at the Asian Cup finals. For instance, South Korea also struggled greatly in their opening game."

The 46-year-old tactician hopes his players will overcome the pressure of the opening game to continue the success of the previous generation, who won the 2025 ASEAN U19 Championship.

"That is certainly something we acknowledge and take note of. I hope the players will be more focused, more prepared because the first match is always mentally and emotionally heavy, as well as in terms of motivation. Hopefully we can overcome all of that in the best possible way."

U19 Indonesia enters the 2026 ASEAN U19 Championship with a squad of 23 players. Among them are six players of Indonesian origin living abroad, who are expected to enhance the squad's quality throughout the tournament.

After facing U19 Myanmar, U19 Indonesia will play U19 Timor Leste on June 4th before taking on strong opponent U19 Vietnam three days later.