Pattaya: Thailand will not take their group opponents lightly, says head coach Abolfazl Khodabandehloo, when the AFC Beach Soccer Championship Thailand 2019 gets underway in March.
Khodabandehloo has warned the home nation not to be complacent when they face Afghanistan, Malaysia and debutants Palestine in Group A.
“All teams in our group are tough. We won’t have an easy game and no country will come here just to add to the numbers. Thailand played with Malaysia and Afghanistan recently and both teams are technically and physically good and they are improving.
“I don’t know about Palestine but they will have the physical advantage over Thailand. Our group is going to be an open race,” said Khodabandehloo.
Thailand, the highest ranked team in Group A, will aim to build on their performances at the AFF Beach Soccer Championship in November where they were undefeated in a group of five teams before losing to Vietnam in the final.
“When I took over Thailand we were ranked in the 100s in the world and now we are 43rd. This shows how much the team has improved and we are probably the best team in Southeast Asia.
“Thailand has come a long way in the last few years. In the past, no team in Asia respected Thailand but now they are showing respect to us,” said Khodabandehloo.
He added that the War Elephants must not let emotions run high when playing in front of the home crowd.
“We have the advantage of playing at home but sometimes this might be a disadvantage because players mood goes according to the crowd. If they are playing with so much passion that will kill their stamina but I’m confident in my team.
“We are always working on our fitness and my team is ready to play anytime of the day,” Khodabandehloo explained.
The second edition of the premier beach soccer championship in Asia will be an important competition as the top three teams will represent the Continent in the 2019 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup in Paraguay.
Thailand are aiming to qualify for their third Beach Soccer World Cup after playing in the prestigious competition in 2002 and 2005. Their debut appearance remains as their most memorable after finishing in fourth place.
The second edition of the AFC Beach Soccer Championship Thailand 2019 will welcome 15 teams to Pattaya City from March 7 to 17, 2019.
Source: the-afc.com