War Elephants, Uzbeks face off Tuesday

Theerathon returns for last-16 encounter

Thailand coach Masatada Ishii and centreback Elias Dolah attend a press conference in Doha on Monday.

Thailand head coach Masatada Ishii is happy to have an injury-free squad at his disposal ahead of their AFC Asian Cup last-16 round clash with Uzbekistan Tuesday.

The game between Thailand and Uzbekistan will be played at Al Janoub Stadium and broadcast live on PPTV HD36 and T Sports 7 channels at 6.30pm.

In another match scheduled for Tuesday, two former champions South Korea and Saudi Arabia will square off.

“All the players are fit and we will have our captain Theerathon Bunmathan back from the suspension for the Uzbekistan game,” Ishii told media on the eve of the match.

“Theerathon is an important part of our plans… he is very experienced and guides the team well on the pitch.

“We have changed our practice schedule to afternoon to be at the time as the match. The weather here is getting warmer which suits us fine.

Ishii added that his main concern was the War Elephants’s inability to score in their last two Group F games with Oman and Saudi Arabia.

“We did a great job in defence but didn’t score any goals. However, we created a lot of chances. We are working on this.

We have completed our analysis of Uzbekistan team and we are fine tuning our plans for the match in practice.

Uzbekistan are a very good team and have a solid defence.

Meanwhile Thailand national team manager Nualphan Lamsam said: “Uzbekistan are the higher ranked so the pressure to perform will be on them. We have already proven that we are capable of playing against the best in Asia.”

Koreans expect ‘nailbiter’

South Korea coach Juergen Klinsmann said on Monday that he does not fear Saudi Arabia but he has a lot of respect for the Gulf team managed by Roberto Mancini.

South Korea failed to top their group and although that saw them avoid Japan in the first round of the knockout stage, it put them on a collision course with three-times champions Saudi Arabia who finished first in their group.

Saudi Arabia have also had the upper hand in the Asian Cup having never lost to South Korea in three encounters but Klinsmann predicted a “nailbiter” and said the match could even go to penalties.

“I don’t fear anybody. No fear but a lot of respect for every opponent,” Klinsmann told reporters ahead of today’s clash where the Saudi supporters are expected to outnumber the South Koreans at Education City Stadium.

“Roberto is doing a fantastic job, it’s a step-by-step process that he had to go through.

“It’s obviously a new adventure for him and a new adventure for me being in Korea.

We have a lot of respect for Saudi Arabia. I’ve played Mancini many times in my