AFC U20 Asian Cup
The Thais lost their opening Group D encounter to Japan 3-0 in a match where they only kicked things up a gear in the second half. The East Asians, however, had already built up a two-goal lead and scored their third against the run of play.
Head coach Emerson Pereira said Japan and Korea Republic share similar styles of play, and his side could use this to their advantage in aiming to be among the top two teams advancing to the quarter-finals.
“They are both very good teams who play at high speed and intensity,” he said. “We, in fact, played Korea Republic four months ago and lost 4-1 due to our mistakes.
“This is why we have to now focus 100% because we cannot afford to make the same mistakes, especially in the first 15 minutes because that’s where we have the most problems.”
#AFCU20 | Group D : Japan 3 - 0 Thailand
As with their encounter with Japan, Pereira said strong team confidence would be key.
“We need to build our confidence. Our players possess quality, but they just need to believe in themselves more and we can then do better against Korea Republic.”
#AFCU20 | Group D : Korea Republic 2 - 1 Syria
Korea Republic almost let slip a two-goal lead against 1994 champions Syria in their opener when their opponents came back strongly after the break. The 2023 semi-finalists, however, hung on till the final whistle to leave with a 2-1 win.
Head coach Lee Chang-won said they would do the necessary for their upcoming match.
“We don't see any team as different from another as all the sides in this competition are strong,” he said. “Thailand have different characteristics and we will face them with the same preparations and motivation as we do for any game.”
Thailand v Korea Republic
Venue: Shenzhen Youth Football Training Base Pitch 1 (Shenzhen)
Kick-off: Monday, 17:15 (UTC+8)
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