Thailand changes plan to save energy before rematch with Vietnam

The day before the match, each team would normally have an official training session at the stadium to get acquainted. However, Thailand decided to change the plan to practice at a closer stadium. According to the newspaperThairath, coach Masatada Ishii wants to save travel time to help the players have more conditions to rest.

Rajamangala Stadium is 37km from the host team's hotel, and normally takes about 50 minutes by bus. Meanwhile, BG Stadium is only about 9km away. "The Thai players are familiar with the Rajamangala Stadium so there is no problem adapting," the source said.Thairathadded. "What needs to be done now is to focus on recovery and injury."

Fitness is Thailand's biggest concern right now. Coach Ishii's players had to play a tough 120 minutes to overcome the Philippines in the second leg of the semi-finals on December 30. After that, they had to fly to Vietnam, so they had less than a day of rest before the first leg of the final at Viet Tri Stadium. The day after this match, Coach Ishii let the players practice recovery at the hotel, and flew back home this afternoon. Meanwhile, Vietnam arrived in Bangkok early in the afternoon and had a practice session at 5 p.m.

In addition to physical strength, the health of some Thai players is also not good, in which striker Suphanat Mueanta has not fully recovered from the flu. Defensive midfielder Akarapong Pumwisat also missed the second leg due to a right ankle injury. Previously, striker Teerasak Poeiphimai was out for the rest of the tournament due to a torn hamstring in the second leg of the semi-finals.

In the current Thai squad, central midfielder Benjamin Davis is considered the fittest. In the last two matches, he ran nearly 15 km against the Philippines and 11.2 km against Vietnam. In addition, wingers such as Nicholas Mickelson and Suphanan Bureerat are also highly regarded for their health.

The 2024 ASEAN Cup does not apply the away goals rule, so Thailand must win by two goals in the second leg to win the championship. In the past, they have lost away from home many times but won at home, such as in this tournament's semi-final against the Philippines and the 2016 final against Indonesia.