Thailand look for third win in a row against Kuwait
4/12/2006 16:15
Thailand are determined to beat Kuwait in their last preliminary round
match on Tuesday to guarantee themselves a place in the quarter-finals of the
Asian Games soccer tournament.
After defeating Palestine 1-0 and Kyrgyzstan
2-0, Thailand are in second place in Group C with the same number of points as
Kuwait but an inferior goal difference.
The top teams in each of the six
groups qualify along with the two top runners-up.
"We need to win to
guarantee we advance," Thai coach Charnwit Phalajivin was quoted by the Bangkok
Post on Monday as saying. A draw might suffice as one of the best second-placed
teams but the coach said he did not want to take any chances.
The coach
admitted it would not be easy but he was confident his team would come through
with a victory.
"There's a lot of pressure on our players, but we have
prepared for six months to handle such a situation," he said.
Thailand will
switch from 4-4-2 to 4-3-3 in an effort to improve their chances of a
win.
Under the new formation Thritthi Nonsrichai will be the defensive
midfielder while experienced midfielder Datsakorn Thonglao and Hadtaporn Suwan
will support the attack.
Noppol Pitafai will also replace Natthaphong Samana
who is suspended after receiving two yellow cards.
Charnwit said Thailand's
defence had to watch Kuwait's star forwards Ebrahim Saleh and Talal Al
Enzi.
Team manager Thavatchai Sajakul said he hoped the Thai team would be
able to play in yellow shirts on Tuesday to honor the King's 79th birthday and
to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the King's accession to the throne.
"We
are waiting for the AFC approval bit I don't think it will be a problem," he
said.
Meanwhile, Thailand's women's team will take on the powerful Japanese
side in their second match of the tournament.
In their opening encounter
Thailand were beaten by defending champions China with 0-7, while Japan defeated
Jordan 13-0.
Xinhua News
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