Blue Tigers take on Thailand in dress rehearsal for Hong Kong qualifier

The Indian men's national football team will take on Thailand in a FIFA International Friendly on Wednesday, at the Thammasat Stadium in Pathum Thani, Thailand. The kickoff is scheduled for 6:00 PM IST. For the Blue Tigers, ranked 127th, the match serves as valuable preparation for the all-important Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027 Qualifiers Final Round match against Hong Kong to be held on June 10 in Kowloon City, as per a press release from the All India Football Federation (AIFF).

After the friendly, the Indian contingent will fly from Bangkok to Hong Kong on June 5. Thailand, ranked 99th and also competing in the Asian Cup Qualifiers, is using the friendly to gear up for their match against Turkmenistan.

In the pre-match press conference on Tuesday, India head coach Manolo Marquez said, "We are preparing for the game against Hong Kong, and Thailand are preparing for Turkmenistan. It is a good friendly game for both teams because we are in a similar situation (playing the Asian Cup Qualifiers)."

Lallianzuala Chhangte, accompanying Marquez in the press conference, said, "We have been working really hard for these two matches. We take this friendly game seriously and want to win it as well. Everyone is focused and motivated. The coaching staff and everyone in the team are behind us, helping us in every way they can."

"Thailand, we know, are a good team offensively and defensively. We came here with a clear plan. Our focus is on ourselves, and hopefully, we can execute what we have been working on. If we win this game, it will boost our confidence for the Hong Kong match," Chhangte added.

This will be the first meeting between the two sides since 2019. India won both the previous clashes -- a 4-1 rout at the AFC Asian Cup 2019 in Abu Dhabi before a 1-0 victory in Buriram handed the Blue Tigers the bronze medal at the King's Cup later that year.

Marquez affirmed that the current context is completely different from six years ago. The Spaniard said, "Those games were a long time ago. It was not last week or last month. I think both teams have changed players since then. I spoke with the players who played that game. It is practically impossible to compare the games. I expect a good game. We are here to win, and obviously, if you ask me if we can repeat the score, that would be great."

Only seven players from India's 2019 Asian Cup squad have travelled to Thailand for the friendly (Sunil Chhetri, Amrinder Singh, Vishal Kaith, Sandesh Jhingan, Subhasish Bose, Ashique Kuruniyan and Udanta Singh Kumam). Thailand, meanwhile, have only two such players (captain Chanathip Songkrasin and forward Supachai Chaided).

Thailand head coach Masatada Ishii spoke along Marquez's lines. The Japanese said, "We lost the last two games against India, but there have been a lot of changes. I was not the coach at that time, and a lot of players were different. So, it does not matter. We want to win against India and use this game as preparation for Turkmenistan."

The Changsuek camp convened only on Monday after the end of the Thai domestic season last Saturday, as Buriram United FC won the Thai League Cup title, defeating Lamphun Warriors FC 2-0 in Pathum Thani itself. Buriram have two players in the Thai squad, including Phitiwat Sookjitthammakul, who was present at the pre-match press conference. The midfielder said, "I have joined the national camp after more than a year. The atmosphere in the camp is good and friendly. We want to do our best and aim to win the two matches."

Marquez and his coaching staff were in attendance at the BG Stadium to watch the Thai League Cup final. He shared his thoughts on the matchday atmosphere in Thailand and expected a good crowd for the friendly at the Thammasat Stadium.

"Every player wants to play in front of a good crowd. The atmosphere was very nice at the Buriram-Lamphun final, with practically a full stadium. I think that is one reason why we play football -- with a lot of crowd," concluded the Indian coach. (ANI)