As Thailand's national football team departed on Wednesday for the first leg of their Asean Mitsubishi Electric Cup 2024 semi-final against the Philippines, coach Masatada Ishii said he is not worried about the artificial grass pitch at Manila's Rizal Memorial Stadium anymore.
Thailand, who qualified for the semi-finals as Group A winners after winning all their four first stage games, are scheduled to take on the Azkals on Friday night. The Philippines sprang a big surprise by taking second spot behind Vietnam in Group B.
The match will kick off at 8pm (Thai time) on Friday and will be televised live by Thai Rath TV (32), AIS Play, TrueSport 2 (667) and the BG Sports Channel on YouTube.
Japan's Ishii told reporters at the airport on Wednesday that he was happy with the Thai team's preparations for the away clash.
"We had more time to prepare the team than the preliminary round games," he said, adding: "Yesterday [Tuesday], we trained very hard and were able to work on the finer details of the gameplan.
"We also had two days to train the team on an artificial pitch, so I think it will not be a problem.
"The fitness level of the players is also getting better.
"We played the Philippines in the King's Cup, but they seem to have improved a great deal since then. They have a Spanish coach and are very strong in defence."
Meanwhile attacking midfielder Supachok Sarachat, who has been nursing an injury, said: "I am feeling better now. I think I am ready for the game with the Philippines.
"Personally, I don't like artificial grass because we don't get to play on such surfaces often, but I believe that everyone will do their best. We don't want to use this as an excuse.
"Away games are always tough but we will do our best to produce a good result. Coach Ishii is very thorough, and he doesn't leave much to chance."
Meanwhile, Singapore will host Vietnam for the first leg of the other semi-final tonight.
Thailand, who qualified for the semi-finals as Group A winners after winning all their four first stage games, are scheduled to take on the Azkals on Friday night. The Philippines sprang a big surprise by taking second spot behind Vietnam in Group B.
The match will kick off at 8pm (Thai time) on Friday and will be televised live by Thai Rath TV (32), AIS Play, TrueSport 2 (667) and the BG Sports Channel on YouTube.
Japan's Ishii told reporters at the airport on Wednesday that he was happy with the Thai team's preparations for the away clash.
"We had more time to prepare the team than the preliminary round games," he said, adding: "Yesterday [Tuesday], we trained very hard and were able to work on the finer details of the gameplan.
"We also had two days to train the team on an artificial pitch, so I think it will not be a problem.
"The fitness level of the players is also getting better.
"We played the Philippines in the King's Cup, but they seem to have improved a great deal since then. They have a Spanish coach and are very strong in defence."
Meanwhile attacking midfielder Supachok Sarachat, who has been nursing an injury, said: "I am feeling better now. I think I am ready for the game with the Philippines.
"Personally, I don't like artificial grass because we don't get to play on such surfaces often, but I believe that everyone will do their best. We don't want to use this as an excuse.
"Away games are always tough but we will do our best to produce a good result. Coach Ishii is very thorough, and he doesn't leave much to chance."
Meanwhile, Singapore will host Vietnam for the first leg of the other semi-final tonight.
