Thailand has all the advantages
Thailand is currently in 3rd place in Group G with 8 points/5 matches, only 3 points behind the leader Vietnam. Therefore, if they win against the Indonesian team, coach Akira Nishino's team will temporarily dethrone the Vietnam national team, before Mr. Park Hang-seo and his team take the field on June 7.
"I believe that the Thai team can qualify for the second qualifying round if we can get the maximum 9 points from 3 matches, despite the difficulties with limited training time and a lack of 2 key players from the J.League. The important thing is to win against Indonesia because it will create positive motivation for the remaining 2 matches," coach Akira Nishino said on the homepage of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).
Thailand will not have the services of Chanathip Songkrasin and Theerathon Bunmathan. In addition, No. 1 striker Teerasil Dangda has also withdrawn due to injury. However, the playing style that Mr. Nishino built was not affected much and Thailand still had good players to replace the above 3 pillars.
Mr. Nishino acknowledged that after 3 friendly matches losing to Oman 0-1, losing to Uzbekistan 1-4 and drawing with Tajikistan 2-2, the team's physical strength and tactics have improved significantly. He is confident that he will help the Thai team have a good performance against Indonesia, to create momentum for the remaining 2 matches against the UAE and Malaysia.
In terms of head-to-head record, Thailand outperformed Indonesia. In the last 10 meetings, the "War Elephants" (Thailand's nickname) have won 7 and lost 3. In the first leg, Thailand won 3-0 away with a double from Supachok and a goal from Theerathon.
Indonesia lacks experience
Compared to the first leg, the Indonesian team has changed coaching and almost all of the players. According to CNN Indonesia, Evan Dimas is the only Indonesian player in the current squad who has faced Thailand at the national team level. Coach Shin Tae-yong (Korea) almost "broke down, rebuilt", with many young players.
Indonesia's experience, competitive spirit and level are not highly appreciated by their opponents. "I have built a new generation for the Indonesian team. These players are still young, their mentality is not yet solid but they will continue to accumulate experience," said Mr. Shin Tae-yong on the homepage of the Indonesian Football Federation (PSSI).
The Thailand - Indonesia match is also an exciting match on the coaching bench of 2 coaches who attended the 2018 World Cup. Mr. Shin Tae-yong will lead the Korean team, while Nishino will be in charge of the Japanese team. In 2010, Mr. Shin Tae-yong beat Nishino when they were both club-level coaches.
"Nishino is a good coach and very experienced. It's been a long time since we've faced each other. I do not care about past achievements, just focus on the goal of helping the Indonesian team win," Mr. Shin Tae-yong praised the opponent.
To prepare for the match against Thailand, Indonesia had 2 friendly matches, losing 2-3 to Afghanistan and 1-3 to Oman. The team from the archipelago wants to be the one to destroy Thailand's World Cup dream as well as the Vietnamese team, but with the current strength, it is difficult.
