Thailand claims the top spot from Malaysia's 'knights', Timor Leste stirs up Hang Day Stadium?

Thailand - Malaysia War

At 8pm on December 14, the Thai team will play at home at Rajamangala Stadium, against Malaysia. This is considered the “big battle” of Group A and will directly affect the top position.

In terms of strength and form, the Thai team is completely superior to Malaysia. Although they do not have the strongest squad in the 2024 AFF Cup, the "War Elephants" showed their strength on the opening day with a record 10-0 victory over Timor Leste. That victory brought a lot of confidence to coach Masatada Ishii's students, especially after witnessing how Timor Leste made things difficult for Malaysia in the second match.

The Thai team (in white) showed their strength with a 10-0 victory over Timor Leste.

Including the win over Timor Leste, the Thai team has gone 5 consecutive matches unbeaten (3 wins, 2 draws). Notably, in these 5 matches, coach Masatada Ishii's team scored 17 goals and only conceded 3. In addition to being in the best physical condition because they did not have to play the second match, Thailand had all 26 players when 2 stars from the J-League (Japan), Ekanit Panya and Suphachok Sarachat, joined the team. These are considered quality "cannons", helping coach Masatada Ishii's attack become more formidable.

On the other side, the Malaysian team has 4 points after 2 matches, leading Group A, but the way coach Pau Martí and his team played has made fans dissatisfied. Moreover, in the match against Thailand, the Malaysian team is expected to be without 6 players from the 2 clubs Sabah and Selangor, including key players such as Dominic Tan, Daniel Ting, Stuart Wilkin and Darren Lok... These players will return to their clubs to play in the quarter-finals of the Malaysia Cup and Malaysia Super League taking place this week, coinciding with the match schedule of the Malaysian team against the Thai team.

Coach Pau Marti Vicente said: "This is a very difficult situation for us. Players have joined and left the team due to club commitments, causing chaos. Not to mention, we have 3 injured players, it is not clear whether they will recover in time to play or not."

The Malaysian team showed lackluster performance despite being highly rated in Group A.

Despite the difficulties the Malaysian team is facing, the Thai media believes that coach Masatada Ishii and his team need to be careful. In the past, the "Malaysian Tigers" were their arch-rivals and made Thailand suffer many defeats. Since 2019, the Thai and Malaysian teams have faced each other 5 times. The Malaysian team has the advantage, winning 3 matches. Meanwhile, Thailand has only managed 1 win and 1 draw.

“I think the match against Malaysia will be difficult for Thailand. Although they do not have the best squad, the Malaysian players are very good. In addition, the Malaysian coach also has good tactics,” said central defender Jonathan Khemdee.

Waiting for Timor Leste to create a shock against Singapore

Before Thailand's clash with Malaysia, the match between Timor Leste and Singapore - taking place at 5:30 p.m. on December 14, 2024 - also received a lot of attention.

Despite being rated the lowest in Group A, the Timor Leste team brought a commendable spirit, causing Malaysia to face many difficulties in the second round. In the next match, the Timor Leste team will also play at home at Hang Day Stadium (Hanoi), promising to be a big challenge for Singapore.

Singapore team visits Timor Leste with many worries

Joao Pedro - the player who scored 1 goal and 1 assist in the match against Malaysia is determined: "The whole team will try to do their best against Singapore. We are improving with each match and hope to get a good result. Against the upcoming opponent Singapore, if I have the ball, I will try 10 to 20 times harder than in the previous match. I believe that the players in the team all want to win 3 points. We will all run together, try together to achieve the goal".

Asean Mitsubishi Electric Cup 2024 is broadcast live and in full on FPT Play, at: http://fptplay.vn

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/lich-thi-dau-aff-cup-hom-nay-1412-thai-lan-doi-ngoi-dau-tu-doi-ky-ro-malaysia-185241213150500089.htm