THAIS MULL BIG UPSET
Japan start Asian U23 battle as favourites
>> DOHA: Thailand and Japan — the former buoyed by a draw and the latter “relieved” after a win — clash tonight in a high-stake match that would have a strong bearing on their hopes for a place in the AFC U23 Championship quarter-finals.
The 16-nation final stage of the continental competition has an added significance as it offers places at the 2016 Rio Olympics to the top three sides.
Thailand tore away their underdog tag with a spirited show culminating in a 1-1 draw with Saudi Arabia in their opening Group B game of the event on Wednesday night.
Japan, one of the pre-tournament title favourites, edged North Korea 1-0 in their first match on the same night.
When the two sides take the field tonight, Japan would be gunning for a victory that would seal their place in the quarter-finals.
Thailand, on their part, are hoping to score an upset at Al Arabi stadium to stay in the hunt for a place in the knockout stage of the tournament.
If the past records are anything to go by, then Thailand should be content again if they can emerge from the game unscathed and leave their fate to be decided in their last group clash with North Korea on Tuesday.
There is another contrasting motivating factor at work for the two sides: The Samurai Blue have participated in every edition of the Olympics since 1996 and they don’t want to miss a trip to Rio, while the War Elephants haven’t been to one in almost five decades and they are anxious to earn a ticket to the 2016 episode.
Thailand coach Kiatisak Senamuang believes his men are capable of beating Japan after assigning his assistant Choketawee Promrut to watch the Japanese play North Korea.
“His observations are that the Japanese rely heavily on playing high balls while attacking because they have a tall striker [Jamaica-born Musashi Suzuki].
“They also have a fast left-winger who played a good attacking game against the North Koreans.
“We are still working on our game plan for the match but we have advised the players to avoid committing any fouls in the danger zones.”
The Thais eluded a 12th-minute goal against Saudi Arabia on Wedenesday night when impressive goalkeeper Somporn Yos pumped Mustafa Al Bassas’ spot kick to the bar.
The Saudis were awarded the penalty after Adison Promrak had fouled Mohammed Al Saiari in the box.
Kiatisak added: “No matter who we play, we only have one aim — to win the match. Tomorrow’s match against Japan isn’t any different in any way. We are seeking a win. We want to make it to the quarter-finals.”
The Thai coach once again praised his t eam’s performance against Saudi Arabia.
“In the first game, our players were not afraid of opponents like Saudi Arabia,” he said.
“I am confident that you will witness the same thing against Japan. I expect it to be an exciting and close game.”
Kiatisak also confirmed that forward Chenrop Samphaodi, who took a blow against Saudi Arabia, was back to training with the team and would be featuring in the Japan game.
He added that the Thai team for tonight’s match would be almost the same as the one that tied Saudi Arabia 1-1 with key players Chanathip Songkrasin, Tanaboon Ketsarat and Peerapat Notechaiya all taking the field.
Japan coach Makoto Teguramori is also not taking any risks and is likely to stick to the squad that edged North Korea with their mainstay being Shoya Nakajima and Red Bull Salzburg forward Takumi Minamino.
After their victory over the North Koreans on Wednesday night, Teguramori said: “We are really relieved we won this game.
“We really felt at the beginning of the game that we had a good mentality today. There was some tension and a feeling of nervous apprehension about playing the first game but we were able to get over that hurdle.
“There were a lot of things we had to think about to get to this point in the game, but now that we have been able to win we have more confidence that we will be able to progress to the next round.”
The Thailand v Japan match will be televised live by Channel 7 and Fox Sports 2, starting 8:30 pm (Thai time). In the other Group B game tonight, Saudi Arabia face North Korea at 11.30pm.