Thai coach is not afraid of Indonesian fans

*Indonesia - Thailand: 16:30 on Thursday, December 29, on MetaSports.

Gelora Bung Karno Stadium has a capacity of 80,000 seats, considered one of the "fire pans" of world football. However, after the football tragedy that occurred in October at Kanjuruhan Stadium, Bung Karno was only allowed to receive a maximum of 25,000 spectators in the Cambodia match and 40,000 spectators in the upcoming welcome to Thailand. However, this number is still a great spiritual fulcrum for Indonesia.

When asked about the pressure from the home fans, coach Mano Polking was calm. "We see it as a driving force," he said at a press conference on the afternoon of December 28. "We have a lot of experienced players like Teerasil Dangda, Theerathon Bunmathan or Sarach Yooyen. They have been through many games like this and will know how to support the team in difficult situations."

Having played two matches and won six points at AFF Cup 2022, Thailand ranked above Indonesia due to a better goal difference (+9 vs +8). The team that wins tomorrow will almost certainly hold the top of Group A. Therefore, Coach Polking affirmed: "Both have quality squads, but our goal remains the same to win".

In the last meeting, at the final of AFF Cup 2020, Thailand won 4-0 in the first leg and drew 2-2 in the second leg against Indonesia to take the throne. However, coach Polking still highly appreciates his colleague Shin Tae-yong - who helped Korea beat Germany in the group stage of the 2018 World Cup. According to him, with having led a team in the biggest playground, Coach Shin is helping Indonesian football develop.

At this year's tournament, Thailand does not have the strongest force, but it does not give up its ambition to win. Coach Polking evaluated three teams that can compete for the title with Thailand in the tournament only Vietnam, Indonesia and Malaysia.