Injuries to key players don’t worry Kiatisak
Thais eye record sixth straight win in Suzuki Cup
>> A cloud of uncertainty hangs over the fitness of some key players as Thailand hope to become the first team to win six Suzuki Cup matches in a row.
The War Elephants, riding on a tide of confidence following their 6-0 aggregate victory over Myanmar in the semi-finals, face Indonesia in the first leg of the Southeast Asian championship final on Wednesday.
Defending champions Thailand are scheduled to depart for Jakarta today.
The second leg of the title showdown will take place at Bangkok’s Rajamangala National Stadium on Saturday.
The Thai squad yesterday had a training session in Bangkok without Tanaboon Kesarat, who recently became the country’s most expensive player when Chiang Rai United paid Muang Thong United 50 million baht to sign the defender.
Captain Teerasil Dangda, currently the leading scorer in the 2016 Suzuki Cup with five goals, also did not take part in the training and joined Tanaboon on the sidelines for some light exercises.
To add to the Thai troubles, defender Prathum Chutong walked off the training ground to seek medical attention after sustaining an injury.
Thailand coach Kiatisak Senamuang attempted to play down concerns regarding the three players.
“Teerasil’s injury is just a sprained muscle and should heal in time for the away leg,” he said.
Teerasil was substituted during the match against Myanmar in the semi-final second leg in Bangkok on Thursday.
Kiatisak added: “However, we do need to take another look at the fitness levels of both Tanaboon and Prathum.
“We have a squad of 23 equally talented players and finding replacements should not be a problem for us in case Tanaboon and Prathum are not fit enough for Wednesday’s match.”
Kiatisak is also worried about his defensive midfielder Sarach Yooyen, who picked up a yellow card during Thailand’s 4-0 hammering of Myanmar at home.
“Sarach would have to be extra careful in Wednesday’s match to avoid being booked again and getting ruled out for the home leg on Saturday,” said Kiatisak, a former national team striker.
“There will be a lot of pressure on our players as they will be playing in front of an expected crowd of 30,000 to 40,000 Indonesia supporters at Stadion Pakansari in Bogor.
“We need to win the away match and Indonesia have shown they are a strong team when they beat Vietnam in the semi-finals.”
“We cannot underestimate the hosts at all — they are the only team to have scored goals against us,” said Kiatisak, referring to Thailand’s 4-2 win over Indonesia in their Group A encounter in Manila last month.
Indonesia made it to the semifinals after finishing second behind Thailand, who remain unbeaten.
The Indonesians went on to shock Group B winners Vietnam 4-3 on aggregate in the other semi-final.
Meanwhile, news reports say that Indonesia’s Austrian coach Alfred Riedl has been keenly studying the Thai team’s videotapes.
Moreover, the Indonesian government has promised an undisclosed cash reward for the national team for winning the Southeast Asian championship.
Indonesia have yet won the biennial regional tournament, finishing runners-up on four occasions.
Thailand and Singapore have won the trophy four times each and the War Elephants are attempting to capture a record fifth title this year.
Singapore failed to reach the semifinals from Group A, after losing to Thailand, Indonesia and drawing first round hosts, the Philippines.