Suzuki Cup: Asean's best player Chanathip set for debut at 2020 edition

SINGAPORE - Thailand captain Chanathip Songkrasin, widely regarded as the region's best footballer, will take to the pitch for the first time at this Suzuki Cup when the War Elephants meet Myanmar in a pivotal Group A clash on Saturday (Dec 11).

At the pre-match press conference on the eve of the match, Thailand coach Mano Polking confirmed that the influential 28-year-old playmaker and 31-year-old left-back Theerathon Bunmathan, who ply their trade in Japan for Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo and Yokohama F. Marinos respectively, would start the game at the National Stadium.

Both players had not arrived in Singapore when five-time champions Thailand opened their campaign with a 2-0 win over Timor-Leste last Sunday.

This will mark Chanathip's first appearance in the Asean Football Federation Championship since the 2016 edition. The diminutive 1.58m star, who is dubbed "Messi Jay" for his similarity in playing style to Argentinian superstar Lionel Messi, won the Suzuki Cup twice in 2014 and 2016.

At both editions, he was crowned best player of the tournament for his mesmerising displays.

Polking could not be happier to welcome back his star man, who since joining the J-League in 2017 has scored 14 goals and had 23 assists for his club in 115 league appearances.

He said: "He is a lovely boy. He is loved wherever he goes and he brings a good atmosphere to the squad. I could feel from the day he arrived here that people were happy to see him.

"As a player, it is very difficult to get the ball off him. He is a strong dribbler and has excellent body movements. We also know that he is a good presence in the box and in Japan he showed many times that he has a great final pass. These are the things that make him a special player."

The additions of Theerathon and Chanathip will add considerable strength to a side that looked off the pace in their opening win against Timor-Leste, a team that they had been expected to swat aside with minimum fuss.

And with hosts Singapore registering two wins out of two and in pole position to clinch one of the two semi-final slots from Group A, coach Polking knows that the equation against Myanmar is simple.

He said: "We are watching the games. Singapore have the crowd on their side and they are doing well. But our focus is on our games. We want to get the three points against Myanmar to get close to them (Singapore). We knew the first two games would be very important for us and we want to get our second victory tomorrow."

Thailand and Myanmar are second and third respectively in Group A although the latter have played a game more.

Calling his side's clash with the Thais a "Cup final", Myanmar coach Antoine Hey promised that his team would not sit back against Thailand, saying: " Thailand have a group of good individuals. We will see tomorrow if they are a team.

"The team spirit in our camp is higher. We have been together for a long time. That is one of our advantages."

Hey agreed with his counterpart that Singapore are in a strong position to qualify and hence it makes the clash with Thailand all the more important.

He said: "We are in a situation where the group is tight. Most likely that with the Timor-Leste match in hand, Singapore will proceed to the semi-finals. There is another place for other teams and our strongest opposition will be Thailand. We cannot afford to lose. That is the reality. Losing tomorrow would mean it is more or less over. We will approach this like a final and that will be the case for Thailand as well."

Pointing to the head-to-head record of both teams at the AFF Championship, Hey suggested that the pressure was on Thailand. Since 1998, both teams have faced off eight times, with Myanmar winning none and Thailand victorious on five occasions.

Said Hey: "For Thailand, beating Myanmar, will be nothing exceptional. The pressure and expectation is not on us. It's on them. It's an open game between a group of good individuals and a good team. Let's see who is winning at the end."

The Philippines, who lost 2-1 to Singapore in their first match of the tournament on Wednesday, will face Timor-Leste on Saturday too.