“The players fought for this opportunity, they finished third and reached the FA Cup final,” Vom said. “They earned this game for the club and for themselves.
“Because of what happened in the FA Cup final, we want to get back our pride. The players want to prove their value, individually and to the club, and to show their standard.”
Vom, somewhat ironically, will turn to three former Kitchee players for Champions League know-how.
The evergreen 38-year-old pair of Lo Kwan-yee and Lam Ka-wai, along with defender Li Ngai-hoi, played in the competition for the Hong Kong champions.
Indeed, Haiphong’s poker-faced manager Chu Din Nghiem remembered bringing former club Hanoi to the city for a Champions League qualifying fixture against Kitchee in 2017.
Lam scored a winner deep into stoppage time, at the end of extra-time, that day and the indefatigable midfielder would not be surprised if Tuesday’s encounter at Mong Kok Stadium also goes the distance.
“I have played against Vietnamese teams and their ability and technique is always good,” Lam said.
“We need spirit and strong minds and concentration. We will work together and concentrate from the first minute and fight until the end of the match.”
Discussing the game at Monday’s pre-match press conference, Vom and Lam said they had studied their opponents intently, Chu, meanwhile, revealed he devoted one training session entirely to exploiting the hosts’ perceived deficiencies.
The Haiphong manager additionally noted a change in tactics under Vom, a 4-4-2 system replacing the 3-4-3 employed last term.
“It is very difficult to get information on our team, even I found it difficult when I was appointed,” Vom said.
“If you say they prepared well, good luck to them. We are confident in our players … the most important aspect is how you play in the game, your performance and your mindset.”
The gentle verbal sparring stopped there and mind games were kept to a minimum, with Chu confirming Brazilian forward Yuri Mamute – capped 10 times by his country at U20 level – would start against Rangers after missing his team’s past three matches with a muscle strain.
Haiphong are ready for this contest, at the midpoint of their domestic campaign they have lost just twice in 13 matches. And while they have only conceded at a rate of a goal a game, they have struggled upfront, managing just 14 in return.
Vom though is keenly aware of his opponents’ quality. But the Taiwanese is counting on home advantage, coupled with the nous of his ex-Kitchee stars and the quality of Rangers’ foreign contingent – including the Montenegrin forward, Stefan Cadjenovic, poised for his first appearance – to set up a play-off round meeting with Incheon United in South Korea next week.
“Vietnamese players … are of a higher level than in Hong Kong,” Vom said. “But if we can adopt the right tactics and are patient enough to wait for opportunities to come, we have a chance.
“The match is a great challenge. There is a lot of pride at stake for the club and for myself.”
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