Thailand head coach Masatada Ishii made no secret of the fact that he is worried about a heavy downpour hitting the King's Cup final against Syria at Songkhla's Tinsulanonda Stadium Monday night.
A second-half brace by Belgium-based striker Suphanat Mueanta paved the way for a 3-1 victory over the Philippines in a rain-hit encounter at the same venue on Friday night and gave the War Elephants a place in the final.
The Syrians booked their slot in the title showdown with a 1-0 victory over Tajikistan on Friday evening.
Monday's final between Thailand and Syria will kick off at 8pm and the third-place playoff between Tajikistan and Philippines will start at 4.30pm. Both matches will be broadcast live on Thai Rath TV (32).
Ishii is hoping that Thai fans will once again pack the venue for the final.
"It was good to see such a big crowd at the stadium in the match against the Philippines on Friday, and I am hoping that they will all turn up again for the final versus the Syrians as well," the Japanese coach told a pre-match press conference on Sunday.
"I am worried that it might rain again during the final.
"In any case, we are determined to post a good result in the match with Syria as winning this tournament is the only target we have set for ourselves."
Ishii added that Thailand's past record against the Syrians won't have a bearing on Monday night's final.
"The last time the two teams faced each other was many years ago. Both sides have undergone a lot of changes since then and have different sets of players.
"We are planning to make some changes to the team that started against the Philippines.
"We also have a plan ready for the final but can't reveal the details of it.
"There are no major injury concerns at the moment. Some players looked jaded in the Philippines game, but we will be ready for the Syrians tomorrow."
Syria head coach Jose Lana said: "We will try to do our best in the final as we know that we will have to put on a better show than we did against Tajikistan on Friday.
"I watched the Thai team play. I appreciate their strong points. They are very good at pressing from the upper zone and their crosses worked very well in the second half against the Philippines. Their players also have good speed."
Thailand defender Jonathan Khemdee said: "It will be a tough game for us as Syria are a good and strong team, but we are ready for this match and hope we will win the trophy for our fans tomorrow.
"We did commit some mistakes in the previous match. We have to try and get better and be confident.
"There are things like rain that we can't control, so we will have to be ready to perform in all sorts of conditions.
"I hope the fans will come and cheer us at the venue again as it's an important game for us."
A second-half brace by Belgium-based striker Suphanat Mueanta paved the way for a 3-1 victory over the Philippines in a rain-hit encounter at the same venue on Friday night and gave the War Elephants a place in the final.
The Syrians booked their slot in the title showdown with a 1-0 victory over Tajikistan on Friday evening.
Monday's final between Thailand and Syria will kick off at 8pm and the third-place playoff between Tajikistan and Philippines will start at 4.30pm. Both matches will be broadcast live on Thai Rath TV (32).
Ishii is hoping that Thai fans will once again pack the venue for the final.
"It was good to see such a big crowd at the stadium in the match against the Philippines on Friday, and I am hoping that they will all turn up again for the final versus the Syrians as well," the Japanese coach told a pre-match press conference on Sunday.
"I am worried that it might rain again during the final.
"In any case, we are determined to post a good result in the match with Syria as winning this tournament is the only target we have set for ourselves."
Ishii added that Thailand's past record against the Syrians won't have a bearing on Monday night's final.
"The last time the two teams faced each other was many years ago. Both sides have undergone a lot of changes since then and have different sets of players.
"We are planning to make some changes to the team that started against the Philippines.
"We also have a plan ready for the final but can't reveal the details of it.
"There are no major injury concerns at the moment. Some players looked jaded in the Philippines game, but we will be ready for the Syrians tomorrow."
Syria head coach Jose Lana said: "We will try to do our best in the final as we know that we will have to put on a better show than we did against Tajikistan on Friday.
"I watched the Thai team play. I appreciate their strong points. They are very good at pressing from the upper zone and their crosses worked very well in the second half against the Philippines. Their players also have good speed."
Thailand defender Jonathan Khemdee said: "It will be a tough game for us as Syria are a good and strong team, but we are ready for this match and hope we will win the trophy for our fans tomorrow.
"We did commit some mistakes in the previous match. We have to try and get better and be confident.
"There are things like rain that we can't control, so we will have to be ready to perform in all sorts of conditions.
"I hope the fans will come and cheer us at the venue again as it's an important game for us."
