Thailand and Uzbekistan's final preparations before the decisive match

Asian Cup 2023 Round of 16 Schedule and Results

18:30 January 28: Australia 4-0 Indonesia

23:00 January 28: Tajikistan 1-1 (penalty 5-3) UAE

18:30 January 29: Iraq 2-3 Jordan

23:00 January 29: Qatar 2-1 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

Uzbekistan is of course rated higher than the Thai team, because the general level of Uzbekistan football is higher than the average of Southeast Asian football. But before this match took place, the Thai people still believed in their team's ability to win.

Former coach of the Thai national team and former top player of the Golden Temple country, Kiatisuk Senamuang, advised his team not to concede the first goal. In addition, "Thai Zico" warned his juniors not to commit fouls near Thailand's 16m50 area.

The entire Thai team is in very good spirits (Photo: FAT).

According to coach Kiatisuk, this match could go into extra time and even extend to a penalty shootout. And to show that he was listening to coach Kiatisuk’s advice, coach Masatada Ishii (Japanese) of the Thai team had his players practice penalty shootouts in the past few days.

The Japanese coach also revealed that Thailand is ready to play as an underdog, defending firmly on their home field, then waiting for opportunities in counterattacks when their opponents are vulnerable.

On the other hand, on the Uzbekistan side, coach Srecko Katanec of the Central Asian team said: "The match will definitely not be as easy as everyone thinks. We are expecting a difficult scenario for us, because Thailand has not conceded a goal since the beginning of the tournament."

"Thailand plays with a very tight formation, their players know how to put pressure (pressing) on ​​the opponent. The Thai team's ability to transition is also very good," coach Srecko Katanec added.

According to the Slovenian coach who is leading the Uzbekistan team, he has no intention of changing the Central Asian team's tactical scheme before the match. His changes, if any, will only happen depending on the specific situation on the field, depending on the reaction of the Thai team in this match.

Thailand have not conceded a goal so far at the 2023 Asian Cup (Photo: AFC).

Coach Srecko Katanec said: "From the beginning of the tournament until now, I have only started my matches with a single formation (4-2-3-1). After that, I will consider the tactics of both sides and then change my system."

"I am ready for every possible situation in the match against the Thai team. I also know the strengths of the War Elephants (the nickname of the Thai team)," coach Srecko Katanec emphasized.

Previously, the strength of the Thai team, according to coach Kiatisuk, was that the Golden Temple team possessed an extremely solid defense, based on a strong vertical axis (goalkeeper - center back - central midfielder - center forward).

The Thai team's vertical axis is full of tall players, good at fighting and not afraid of collision. At the 2023 Asian Cup, Thailand often uses the main lineup including striker Supachai Chaided (1m83), central midfielder Weerathep Pomphan (1m81), goalkeeper Patiwat Khammai (1m87).

In particular, Thailand currently has a pair of central defenders that at first glance people would not think are central defenders playing for a national team in Southeast Asia, because they are as tall as central defenders in Europe. The central defender pair of the Thai team at the 2023 Asian Cup includes Elias Dolah (1m96) and Pansa Hemviboon (1m90).

In addition to the players playing in the vertical position, Thailand coach Masarada Ishii also often uses right-back Nicholas Mickelson (1m80) and left-back Bordin Phala (1m82) in this year's tournament.

With this squad, Thailand is very strong in aerial balls, even when they face representatives from West Asia (Oman, Saudi Arabia) and Central Asia (Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan).

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-thao/buoc-chuan-bi-cuoi-cung-cua-thai-lan-va-uzbekistan-truoc-tran-quyet-dau-20240130133527357.htm