Suzuki Cup: Indonesia on the hunt for first championship title in six finals

SINGAPORE - The odds are stacked against Indonesia even before they kick off the first leg of the AFF Suzuki Cup final against Thailand at the National Stadium on Wednesday (Dec 29).

Not only will they have to overcome five-time winners Thailand, who knocked out defending champions Vietnam in the semi-finals, they will also need to get past their wretched finals record.

Since the first Asean Football Federation Championship in 1996, Indonesia have been the perennial bridesmaid, losing in five finals from 2000 to 2016. Three of those were against Thailand.

But the Garuda are determined to break their duck this time.

Said Indonesia forward Egy Maulana, who plays for Slovakian top-tier side FK Senica: "The players are motivated. We have failed five times before so now is a big chance. The players really want to be champions. But we know it's not just about the talk and we need to work hard for that.

"We need to believe in ourselves. Some might think Thailand are stronger than us but I'm not afraid. If we believe in ourselves then there is nothing impossible.

"I hope we can bring the trophy back to Indonesia."

The team will be relying on the tactical nous of head coach Shin Tae-yong, who comes armed with title credentials. The South Korean won Asian football's premier club competition, the Asian Champions League and the Korean FA Cup with Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma (now known as Seongnam FC) in 2010 and 2011 respectively, and guided South Korea to victory at the East Asian Football Championship in 2017. At the 2018 World Cup, he led his country to a shock 2-0 win over Germany.

When asked about Indonesia's record, Shin said: "Let me be honest: I'd love for us to win it. But winning doesn't just happen (by luck). You become a champion when you do your best.

"I have been a champion before so I will use that experience and instil the right mentality into the players and try to make Indonesia champions."

"Thailand are strong with many players of good quality. I do not have any negative comments about them. But football is unpredictable and you'll have to come and see what happens on the day."

While Thailand are the favourites in the two-legged finals, the War Elephants will be missing two key players on Wednesday.

Left-back Theerathon Bunmathan, 31, who has spent the last four years playing in the J.League, is suspended while goalkeeper Chatchai Budprom suffered a tournament-ending injury in the semi-final.

Shin said: "Thailand may be worried that they are losing their left-back and goalkeeper. But we are also in the same situation with our left-back out (Pratama Arhan, suspension).

"When you're in the final, things like this can happen and as a head coach, we have to deal with such situations. But I think both teams will not be affected by this."

Calling his rivals a "young and dangerous" team, Thai head coach Alexandre Polking will not be distracted by talk of any records - Thailand will extend their championship mark to six if they win.

Said Polking: "Yes, we know about the record but every time you reach a final, you want to win. They will be very motivated but we are just focusing on how to beat them. We are trying to find the best 11. We don't think too much about the record and we will give everything to get that title."

A solid defence will be critical for the Thais - who have conceded just one goal in the 2-1 win over the Philippines in the group stage - against the swashbuckling Indonesians, who have scored a tournament-leading 18 goals.

Noting that Indonesia are proficient on both ends of the pitch, Polking said they "will wait to see how they play against us but are prepared for both scenarios".