{"id":16292,"date":"2019-01-14T19:32:12","date_gmt":"2019-01-14T10:32:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/football-tribe.com\/asia\/?p=16292"},"modified":"2019-01-14T19:32:12","modified_gmt":"2019-01-14T10:32:12","slug":"afc-asian-cup-thailand-vs-uae-match-preview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/football-tribe.com\/asia\/2019\/01\/14\/afc-asian-cup-thailand-vs-uae-match-preview\/","title":{"rendered":"AFC Asian Cup &#8211; Thailand vs UAE Match Preview"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Thailand have the chance to make history as they take on hosts UAE for a spot in the knockout stage at the 2019 AFC Asian Cup. Football Tribe Thailand&#8217;s\u00a0<strong>Obb Deewajin\u00a0<\/strong>looks ahead to this crucial tie for the War Elephants.<\/p>\n        <\/div>\n        <div id=\"tribe-slideshow-wrap-16293\" data-id=\"16293\"\n             class=\"slideshow slideshow_id_16293\">\n            <div class=\"tribe-slideshow\" id=\"slideshow16293\">\n                                <div class=\"swiper-wrapper\">\n                                                <div class=\"swiper-slide\">\n                                <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/football-tribe.com\/asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2019\/01\/50530180_392293584860664_7869355413215379456_n-800x533.jpg\"\/>\n                                    <script>\n        var currentSite = 'asia';\n        var isMalaysiaCampaign =\n            '';\n        var isIndonesiaCampaign =\n            '';\n        var postId = '16292';\n    <\/script>\n                                    <div class=\"slideshow_text_content\">\n                                    <h2><b>Thailand<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><b>Strengths - <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Having earned 3 points against Bahrain, Thailand\u2019s first victory over the Al-Ahmar in 38 years, the War Elephants are fully rejuvenated and more confident than ever. Caretaker manager Sirisak Yodyadthai\u2019s decision to adopt the 3-5-2 proved to be a massive success - not only in terms of result but also the performance. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The back three added an extra level of stability to the defence, making it easier to deal with opposition attacks. As one defender closes down an opponent, two of his teammates remain to cover space at the back. Additionally, swapping Siwarak Tedsungnoen for Chatchai Budprom was another welcomed change. The Buriram United goalkeeper dealt with long crosses well and pulled out some vital saves to keep it 0-0 in the first half.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The 2 attacking full-backs were Thailand\u2019s downfall against India, but Theerathon Bunmathan and Tristan Do flourished in the new formation. The presence of a back three lowered their defensive responsibility, giving them increased attacking freedom, as evidenced by right wing-back Tristan Do\u2019s assist for Chanathip Songkrasin\u2019s winning goal. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Weakness -<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Tanaboon Kesarat has been Thailand\u2019s top defensive midfielder for the past five years, and the sight of him limping off in the 68th minute has caused some major concern amongst supporters. The 25 years old added the much-needed stability to the Thai midfield against Bahrain. Unfortunately, he hasn\u2019t been fully fit since breaking his shin back in August 2017, and there is no other specialist defensive midfielder in the squad. Without Tanaboon, the Thai defence is dangerously exposed and this could cost them the game just like it did in the opening fixture against India.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Player to Watch (with explanation) - Tristan Do<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Fast, energetic - a good crosser. Tristan Do has found his form in the victory over Bahrain and will be Thailand\u2019s key outlet on the right flank. <\/span><\/p>\n                                <\/div>\n                            <\/div>\n                                                        <div class=\"swiper-slide\">\n                                <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/football-tribe.com\/asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2019\/01\/49793741_2025713790876252_4828731331737288704_n-800x379.jpg\"\/>\n                                    <script>\n        var currentSite = 'asia';\n        var isMalaysiaCampaign =\n            '';\n        var isIndonesiaCampaign =\n            '';\n        var postId = '16292';\n    <\/script>\n                                    <div class=\"slideshow_text_content\">\n                                    <h2><b>UAE<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><b> <\/b><b>Strengths - <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The host may be missing talisman Omar Abdulrahman but the quality and experience of this current group are more than enough to trouble the Thais. Ismail Matar and Ali Mabkhout, 2 attackers who were part of the UAE side that finished third in the 2015 Asian Cup, are still here. The last time both sides met was a World Cup qualifier in June 2017, when Matar changed the game as a substitute, nodding down a long ball for Mabkhout\u2019s equalizer. Backed by their own crowd, the UAE\u2019s individual quality and direct play will be something the Thais must watch out for.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Weakness - <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The hosts\u2019 weakness is their inability to convert possession into clear-cut chances, as well as their vulnerability to counter-attack. So far Alberto Zaccheroni\u2019s side has had over 65% possession in the past two games, but find it difficult to break down opposing defenses. Without Omar Abdulrahman\u2019s creativity, unlocking a compact defence just became much tougher for them. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The UAE is also vulnerable to counter-attacks, especially on the right flank. This is where they conceded against Bahrain on opening day, and Sunil Chhetri also should\u2019ve scored from a close-range header in the 22nd minute which came from a cross down the right wing. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Player to Watch (with explanation) - Ali Mabkhout<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The 28 years old striker has a good mix of attributes - pace, strength, and technique. He is someone who could lead the line on his own, and is the exact type of striker Thai defenders hate to deal with. Mabkhout holds a terrific international record, netting 43 goals for his country from 70 appearances. <\/span><\/p>\n                                <\/div>\n                            <\/div>\n                                            <\/div>\n                <div class=\"row\">\n                    <div class=\"col-lg-5 col-4\">\n                        <div class=\"swiper-button-prev\">\n                        <span class=\"fas fa-chevron-left\"\n                              aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/span>\n                        <\/div>\n                    <\/div>\n                    <div class=\"col-lg-2 col-4\">\n                        <div class=\"swiper-pagination\"><\/div>\n                    <\/div>\n                    <div class=\"col-lg-5 col-4\">\n                        <div class=\"swiper-button-next\">\n                        <span class=\"fas fa-chevron-right\"\n                              aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/span>\n                        <\/div>\n                    <\/div>\n                <\/div>\n            <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n        <div class=\"text-content\">\n        \n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Thailand have the chance to make history as they take on hosts UAE for a spot in the knockout stage at the 2019 AFC Asian Cup. Football Tribe Thailand&#8217;s\u00a0Obb Deewajin\u00a0looks ahead to this crucial tie for the War Elephants.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":87,"featured_media":16296,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26,38],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16292","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-southeast-asia","category-thailand"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/football-tribe.com\/asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16292","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/football-tribe.com\/asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/football-tribe.com\/asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/football-tribe.com\/asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/87"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/football-tribe.com\/asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16292"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/football-tribe.com\/asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16292\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/football-tribe.com\/asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16296"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/football-tribe.com\/asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16292"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/football-tribe.com\/asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16292"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/football-tribe.com\/asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16292"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}