Thailand seek victory on home turf
Rejuvenated Azkals pose stiffer test today
Defending champions Thailand take on the Philippines in their second AFF Mitsubishi Electric Cup 2022 Group A game, eyeing a victory which will give their chances of advancing to the semifinals of the Asean championship an early boost.
The War Elephants, who are gunning for a record-extending seventh regional title, had a great start to the tournament, hammering Brunei 5-0 on Tuesday night in Kuala Lumpur.
Thailand coach Mano Polking told a news conference yesterday that the tournament features both home and away matches and “since we’ll be playing our first home game [at Thammasat Stadium], we want three points from the match.
“The Philippines are a good team and they are coached by a man [Josep Ferre of Spain] who knows Thai football very well. They were unlucky to lose their first game [to Cambodia] but they showed their class in the second game.”
A new-look Philippines side, after a surprise 3-2 defeat to Cambodia in their opener, bounced back on the second matchday as they routed Brunei 5-1.
For Thailand, it was the usual suspects Teerasil Dangda and captain Theerathon Bunmathan who stepped up in the big win over Brunei.
Theerathon, playing in a midfield role, was sharp with his supply into the box while the 34-year-old Teerasil was unfortunate not to have bagged more than one goal.
Earlier, Thailand team manager Nualphan Lamsam said: “We have been discussing things with coach Mano since the first game. The atmosphere in the team looks relaxed now because it was a difficult game against Brunei as we were under pressure to win.
“The Philippines have improved a lot and qualify for the semi-finals of this tournament almost on a regular basis.
“They captured three points from the Brunei game, so it won’t be an easy game at all for us. We must not underestimate them.”
The Azkals are yet to post a win against Thailand in the AFF Championship history.
The last time the two sides met was in the group stages of the 2020 edition when Teerasil scored twice to hand Thailand a 2-1 win in Singapore.
Thailand will face a much tougher test against the Philippines today, but it will be one their fans will expect them to come out as winners as they play at home for the first time in this year’s Asean championship.
The game will aired live on MCOT HD30 starting 7.30pm.