Group F teams begin their Asian Cup campaigns on Tuesday as Thailand face Kyrgyzstan at Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium in the second successive appearance of this competition for both nations.
A 3-0 win over the Maldives in their opening third-round Asian Cup qualifying fixture ultimately enabled the War Elephants to make a return trip into this competition, while the White Falcons went unbeaten in their third-round group.
Match preview
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It took them nearly a half-century, but four years ago, Thailand made it beyond the group stage of this tournament for the first time since 1972 when they were hosts.
Their 2019 Asian Cup campaign was a massive boost for this program, with the War Elephants winning back-to-back ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) titles since then, while they are in a position to advance into the third stage of 2026 World Cup qualifying, sitting second after two matches.
Even with some of those successes, the Thailand FA decided to go another direction, sacking the popular Alexandre Polking in favour of Masatada Ishii.
The managerial debut for the Japanese coach went about as badly as he could have imagined, with the War Elephants suffering a second-half meltdown, conceding five times in the final 45 minutes and losing 5-0.
Thailand have conceded 17 goals in their previous five matches in all competitions, though 13 of those strikes came in two games, including in an 8-0 defeat versus Georgia.
They have never won their opening group fixture in this competition, though they defeated Kyrgyzstan, 3-1 in a June 2001 friendly, the only encounter between both nations.
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Kyrgyzstan made a solid first impression at the 2019 Asian Cup, advancing it into the last 16 in their debut appearance, thanks to a 3-1 victory over the Philippines in their final group outing.
Despite losing four of their five games at this tournament four years ago, the White Falcons were a handful, squandering a 1-0 lead to China in their opener (2-1 defeat) before narrowly losing to the United Arab Emirates in a thrilling round of 16 encounter (3-2 extra-time loss).
It will be up to Stefan Tarkovic to try to replicate the success of his predecessor, Aleksandr Krestinin, who was in charge until April 2023.
The former Slovakian manager lost three of his first four matches in charge, but Kyrgyzstan are unbeaten this year, defeating Vietnam in a friendly last week (2-1).
Having to face one of the tournament favourites on matchday two in Saudi Arabia will likely put some added pressure on them to get a result on Tuesday, with second place very much a possibility between themselves, Thailand and Oman.
Early into their World Cup qualification campaign, Kyrgyzstan find themselves narrowly behind a place in the third round, trailing Oman on goal difference, squandering a 3-1 lead and losing their opening qualifying fixture against Malaysia (4-3) before a 1-0 triumph over Oman.
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Team News
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Saranon Anuin is the only Thailand player chosen for this encounter who does not have an international appearance, while Santiphap Channgom picked up his second international cap in the defeat to Japan, replacing Jaroensak Wonggorn in the second half.
Theerathon Bunmathan picked up his 90th cap in that defeat with a chance of surpassing Niweat Siriwong for seventh all-time in this game, Sarach Yooyen reached 75 in their previous fixture and Pathompol Charoenrattanapirom made his 20th appearance.
Goals from Yooyen, Teerasil Dangda and Pansa Hemviboon in their opening third-round qualifying fixture versus the Maldives were enough for them to clinch second place, with Siwarak Tedsungnoen collecting a clean sheet.
Three members of this Kyrgyzstan squad will be seeking their first international caps on Tuesday, including Sultan Chomoev, Amantur Shamurzaev and Eldiyar Zarypbekov.
Captain Kayrat Zhyrgalbek uulu is their most experienced player selected for this tournament, with an all-time national team record 65 caps, Tamirlan Kozubaev is fifth on that list, two shy of 50, while Valery Kichin has 41.
The first international goal by Ayzar Akmatov served as the winner against Vietnam last week, while Joel Kojo notched his second for the White Falcons.
Thailand possible starting lineup:
Tedsungnoen; Bureerat, Dolah, Kaman, Bunmathan; Wonggorn, Yooyen, Pomphan, Kanitsribampen; Chaided, Poeiphimai
Kyrgyzstan possible starting lineup:
Tokotayev; Akmatov, Kozubaev, Mishchenko, Kichin; Dzhumashev, uulu, Almazbekov; Batyrkanov, Merk, Kojo
We say: Thailand 0-2 Kyrgyzstan
Knowing who is up next for Kyrgyzstan should raise their urgency level for this opening encounter, and we expect them to be aggressive and pounce on a Thailand team struggling psychologically following that lopsided defeat to Japan.
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