MANILA (18 Nov 2016) – Anyone who watched the Thais take on Australia in the recent World Cup qualifying round to know that they are in tremendous form and clearly the favourites to defend the coveted AFF Suzuki Cup which begins in Manila tomorrow.
The manner in which striker Teerasil Dangda and midfielder Chanathip “Messi J” Songkrasi took the fight to the Aussies would have sent chills down the backs of their AFF Suzuki Cup rivals.
Still coach Kiatisuk Senamuang, also known as Zico, chose to play it down. “We are in a very tough group here. All the teams are strong and it will not be easy,” commented Kiatisuk at packed pre-match press conference. The former striker said that he will focus on one game at a time. “We will start with Indonesia. Let’s complete the group stage first before looking at the title.”
He added that the passing of their beloved King would inspire the team to do their best. In fact, this will be a major driving force for the team to defend the title. That journey starts with an intriguing opener against Indonesia who are playing in their first major international competition since the nation was suspended by FIFA.
Indonesia coach Alfred Riedl’s admitted that Thailand were the favourites and it would be uphill for his team. “Thailand are the favourites. Their match against Australia showed us how strong they are.
“The focus on football in Indonesia is with the Liga (the Indonesian league) and not the national team. I’m only allowed to use two players form each club which makes it extremely difficult for us here. And so losing a player like Irfan is a massive loss to us,” moaned the Austrian coach.
Thailand will face Indonesia at 4.30pm tomorrow at the Phillipine Football Stadium in Bulacan.
