Coach Kiatisuk predicts Thailand will defeat Uzbekistan in the round of 16 of the Asian Cup

Asian Cup 2023 Round of 16 Match Schedule

18:30 January 28: Australia vs Indonesia

23:00 January 28: Tajikistan vs UAE

18:30 January 29: Iraq vs Jordan

23:00 January 29: Qatar vs Palestine

18:30 January 30: Uzbekistan vs Thailand

23:00 January 30: Saudi Arabia vs South Korea.

18:30 January 31: Bahrain vs Japan

23:00 January 31: Iran vs Syria

Kiatisuk is currently the coach of the Hanoi Police Club (CAHN) in the V-League, but the Thai coach always has love for his homeland team.

Before the match between Thailand and Uzbekistan in the 1/8 round of the 2023 Asian Cup, taking place on the evening of January 30, coach Kiatisuk said: "The match is very difficult, but the Thai players are very confident at the moment. There is almost no difference between the official squad and the reserve squad of Thailand."

HLV Kiatisuk dự đoán Thái Lan đánh bại Uzbekistan ở vòng 1/8 Asian Cup - 1 — Coach Kiatisuk Senamuang (Photo: CAHN FC).

"Thailand currently has a good defense (no goals conceded after 3 matches), but the team needs to be sharper in attack. Thailand played well in the match against Saudi Arabia, had chances to score in that match, so I believe Thailand has a chance to win against Uzbekistan," coach Kiatisuk added.

Also according to "Thai Zico", the key point for the Thai team to be able to overcome Uzbekistan is to defend firmly, while limiting fouls near the home team's 16m50 area.

Coach Kiatisuk shared: "Both teams play with a similar 4-2-3-1 formation. Thai players should not commit fouls near their team's dangerous area, as well as avoid letting the opponent score first."

HLV Kiatisuk dự đoán Thái Lan đánh bại Uzbekistan ở vòng 1/8 Asian Cup - 2 — Thailand is the best Southeast Asian team in the group stage of the 2023 Asian Cup (Photo: AFC).

"In the past, Thailand often played against Uzbekistan at the King's Cup, so the two teams are familiar with each other. I predict that Uzbekistan will not dare to attack strongly, because they are also afraid of being counter-attacked by Thailand. This is a knockout round, so teams rarely dare to take risks.

The match may go into extra time, or even a penalty shootout, but I believe the Thai team can win," coach Kiatisuk affirmed.

Thailand's best achievement in the Asian Cup was third place in 1972. However, since then, the team from the Land of the Golden Temple has never been able to repeat that achievement.

Source