All roads lead to Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, Jakarta, Indonesia tonight as the first leg of the Asean Football Federation (AFF) Suzuki Cup between Group B topnotcher Thailand and Group A second placer Indonesia unfolds. kickoff time is 8 pm (Manila time).The Thais are coming into the game heavily favored after sweeping the group stages and having the biggest goal difference in the tourney so far with a total goals for of 11 against nil for goals against. The Indons on the other hand, finished the group stages with a record of two-wins, no-draw and a loss with a goal difference of 7-2. Expect a lot of fireworks as a very physical match in the offing between the two of the most popular squads in the Southeast Asian region.
Thai coach Peter Reid is not discounting of an Indon upset and is wary of the capablities of the hosts to turn the tables around. “Indonesia have the quality and very good pace upfront. They were quick during attacks and their striker, Bambang, is dangerous”, Reid said. At the same time he believes the homecrowd will play a vital factor in the opener, “The Indonesian crowd have been fantastic. It will be a big game atmosphere. As a player I used to enjoy the big games and I am sure my players will too. That’s football is all about. But in these games, it’s important not to panic.”
Indonesian coach Benny Dolo thinks that his team needs to improve their offensive attack and ability to score goals to secure an upset. “It’s our problem. In previous matches we wasted many chances in front of goal. The strikers have to improve and be sharper or it will be very difficult against Thailand,” Benny said.
The second leg of the Thailand-Indonesia series is scheduled on Saturday in Bangkok, Thailand. The other semis pairing will pit Group A winner Singapore against Group B runner-ups Vietnam with the first leg up for grabs tomorrow night in Vietnam. All the games can be seen live over Starsports on cable tv.
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