'Vietnam team is strong, but Thailand will win in the classic match'

Thai team highly appreciates Xuan Son

The Vietnamese team will meet Thailand again in the final of the AFF Cup 2024, with the first leg taking place at 8:00 p.m. on January 2. While Vietnam convincingly defeated Singapore with a score of 5-1, Thailand struggled to come back against the Philippines to advance to the final match.

Answering the press at noon on January 1, coach Masatada Ishii of the Thai team affirmed that his students will try to defeat the Vietnamese team in the final.

"The Thai team lost the first leg of the semi-final against the Philippines, so in the next two matches, we will try to win as expected. However, the Vietnamese team is very strong," Mr. Ishii analyzed.

Coach Masatada Ishii

The Vietnamese team has never won against Thailand in the AFF Cup in the past 16 years. In the last 7 meetings, Quang Hai and his teammates have drawn and lost to the Thai team. In the friendly match in September at My Dinh Stadium, Vietnam opened the score thanks to Tien Linh, but then lost 1-2.

However, Mr. Ishii commented: "It is impossible to compare the Vietnam team in September with now. They have improved and changed their squad. They also have the most important player, Nguyen Xuan Son."

After landing at Noi Bai International Airport last night, the Thai team members immediately moved to Viet Tri ( Phu Tho province) to settle down, before starting the preparation process for the first leg of the AFF Cup 2024 final against Vietnam at 8:00 p.m. on January 2.

The Thai team is going through a journey of training, competing and then traveling urgently. After the victory in the semi-final on the evening of December 30, coach Masatada Ishii and his team only have this morning to rest and recover, then immediately leave for Vietnam. Before the first leg of the final, Thailand only has 1 full day to practice tactics and adapt to the weather in Phu Tho.

"Not only Suphanat Muenta has problems, but there are also some injured players. I will coordinate with the coaching staff to bring the best physical condition to the players," Mr. Ishii worried about the players' physical condition. After the semi-finals, we will immediately play away. I will try with the whole team to have the best possible result as well as aim for a victory," Mr. Ishii added.

The Thai and Vietnamese teams have a history of three decades of confrontation in Southeast Asian tournaments, but according to coach Ishii, he has not experienced the concept of "rivalry" between these two teams because he has only coached Thailand for 1 year. "People call this match a classic, so I have high expectations for the atmosphere on the field. I hope both teams will play well," the Japanese coach concluded.

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Source: https://thanhnien.vn/hlv-ishii-doi-tuyen-viet-nam-manh-nhung-thai-lan-se-thang-o-tran-cau-kinh-dien-18525010111124936.htm