A report from the Thai national team said that attacking midfielder Ekanit, who was injured in a recent training session, will likely not be able to continue playing in the regional number 1 tournament, due to not being able to recover in time.
In the group stage, Ekanit also did not play for the "War Elephants" (referring to the Thai team). His injury took many weeks to recover, so the player who plays for Muangthong United will miss the rest of the 2024 ASEAN Cup.
In case Thailand defeats the Philippines in the semi-finals, they will play two finals on January 2 and 5, 2025.
Ekanit Panya has played 25 times for Thailand, scoring 2 goals. He has been an important attacking midfielder for Thailand in the past few years, and has played in Japan. In the group stage of the 2024 ASEAN Cup, Thailand played well without Ekanit, winning all 4 matches.
But entering the knockout round with stronger opponents, the Thai team clearly needs Ekanit's experience and creativity to complete the goal of winning the ASEAN Cup for the 8th time.
In addition to Ekanit, the Thai team also recorded injuries to Supachok and Benjamin. These two players fully trained with the team on December 24, but it is still uncertain whether they are physically fit enough to play in the first leg of the semi-final.
According to the schedule, the Thai team will meet the Philippine team away at 8:00 p.m. on December 27. Playing at the Rizal Memorial artificial turf field is a challenge for the Thai team.
Thailand left winger Thitathon Aksornsri said he aims to help his team win the first leg of their semi-final against the Philippines. "We are ready for the semi-final now. We have had enough rest and are back to training," he said.
I think artificial turf is quite different from real grass and it is not used much at the moment. We have to adjust during training, especially passing the ball and many other things, which can affect the team's performance. I believe my teammates in the Thai team will know how to adapt to this field."
Previously, another Thai midfielder, Worachit Kanitsribumphen, believed that the "War Elephants" would have no problem facing the Philippines on artificial turf.
“I’m not saying we won’t have any problems playing on artificial turf, but I think we’ll adapt if we train well. I don’t think it will cause any major concerns for the Thai team,” he said.
The Philippines team has some stars playing abroad and their players have good potential. We need to avoid making any mistakes against them. If we can do that, I am sure we will win the first leg of the semi-finals.
It's good that we're playing the first game away. We can count on the support of the home crowd in the second leg, achieving all the necessary objectives. Even if we draw on artificial turf, we still have the home advantage in the second leg to overcome our opponents."