According to the original schedule, the Thai team was to have two friendly matches in Hanoi. However, the match with Russia was canceled due to the impact of Typhoon Yagi.
Thai media regrets this, because according to Siam Sports, "the opportunity to compete with a team ranked 33rd in the world, with a higher level" is not easy.
For now, the Thai team only has one match left, against the Vietnamese team on September 10. This is a very interesting match and is receiving a lot of attention from the Thai media.
“The Vietnamese team has changed a lot since coach Park Hang-seo left the team. Under the leadership of Mr. Troussier, the team did not continue the success of the Korean coach, and was even surpassed by the Thai team in the rankings.
That is the reason why the Vietnamese team put their trust in Mr. Kim Sang-sik. This strategist has only led the team for 3 matches, losing the last 2 matches against Iraq and Russia, but that is not enough to make any judgment. Because he has just started his job," commented Siam Sports.
Mr. Kim Sang-sik started working for the Vietnam team in June. He helped the team beat the Philippines 3-2 in his debut match, but then the team lost 1-3 to Iraq and 0-3 to Russia.
“Coach Kim Sang-sik still has plenty of time to adjust his playing style and personnel. The match against Thailand on Tuesday will be a test of the former South Korean midfielder’s skills. How will he show his talent when facing a familiar opponent in the region?”, the Thai newspaper asked.
Thailand is currently ranked higher than Vietnam (101st vs 115th). Coach Masatada Ishii, a Japanese, helped the team play quite well in the early stages, reaching the round of 16 of the 2023 Asian Cup.
However, in the last 2 matches, the "War Elephants" did not play successfully.
The team drew 1-1 with China and beat Singapore 3-1, thereby being eliminated from the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
“The Japanese head coach has been somewhat criticised for repeatedly using the same group of familiar players.
Especially in attack, where he is very loyal to Supachai, despite his poor form in the national team, as well as Suphanat Mueanta, who rarely plays with the club OH Leuven but is a regular starter in the national team," Siam Sports shared.
In the upcoming match against Vietnam, Thailand will not have the services of 6 big stars: Supachai Chaided, Supachok Sarachat, Chanathip Songkrasin, Theerathon Bunmathan, Sarach Yooyen and Teerasil Dangda.
Mr. Ishii wants to use the match against Vietnam to test the inexperienced players.
In the Thai team, only captain Veerathep Bomphan has more than 30 appearances for the national team, 9 other players have 10 or more international appearances, the rest are very inexperienced.
“It will be interesting to see how coach Masatada Ishii handles the situation in the Thai team, because the Vietnamese team will certainly put all their efforts into winning. For those reasons, the match between Vietnam and Thailand will be an exciting battle of wits between the two coaches,” the Thai newspaper concluded.
The Vietnam - Thailand match will take place at 8:00 p.m. on September 10, at My Dinh Stadium, Hanoi.
