Azkals vs. Thailand: Preview, Live Stream and Schedule for Suzuki Cup 2014
The 2014 Suzuki Cup reaches the semi-final stage on Saturday as the Philippines face off against much-fancied Thailand.
The Azkals are very much the rank outsiders left in the last four, with group hosts Vietnam and Malaysia contesting the other knockout match.
The contest will take place at the Rizal Memorial Stadium in Manila, with the return played at the home of the War Elephants—in Bangkok on Wednesday.
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Here is how you can watch this encounter, with fixture information and game preview:
When: Saturday, Dec. 6, at 12 p.m. GMT/7 a.m. ET
Where: Rizal Memorial Stadium, Manila, Philippines
Live Stream: AFFSuzukiCup.com (broadcasting restrictions apply)
Azkals Looking To Stun War Elephants
Despite being the competition's hot team in the early stages, the Philippines start their encounter against Thailand as second favourites.
The Azkals were truly exceptional in their first two Suzuki Cup games, scoring eight goals and only conceding once, per Goal.com. But they came down to earth with a bump against Vietnam, losing the tie 3-1 to the hosts.
Thailand's lowly positioning in their ranking has been somewhat of a smokescreen coming into this competition and they are now many people's favourites to go on and lift the title.
The Thai team has been solid if not spectacular during the competition but have shown a level of control through all of their recent games. Their quality is acknowledged by football writers Zee Ko, Nick Measures and KhairrulAnuar Azmi for FourFourTwo:
"The Thais are the lowest ranked team in Group B, but any Southeast Asian football fan worth his salt will tell you to underestimate them at your own risk. Despite their FIFA world ranking of 165, the War Elephants are always a fearsome force to be reckoned with at this level.
"
Azkals coach Thomas Dooley is cautious about his team's chances against Thailand, but harbours hope that his side can pull off an upset, per Manila Standard Today.
"Our game against Thailand is very, very important. It’s the biggest game of the year for us. The last time we beat Thailand was in 1971. The Thais have won the last 14 games against us. It's about time to write some history but it will be a very, very difficult task.
"
Dooley added that his team's recent display against Indonesia was the best he had witnessed from his troops and he hopes to see a repeat of that level in the semi.
Match Preview
Philip Younghusband of the Philippines and Thai striker Adisak Kraisorn will be the key figures for their respective sides on Saturday.
Both players have two goals from the tournament so far and each side will need their main protagonists firing in the semi-final.
The 27-year-old Younghusband has become vital to the Azkals cause and if they are to score a shock win despite being the home side, the attacker will need to ensure he finds room in between his markers.
Kraisorn has recently joined Thai Premier League club, BEC Tero Sasana, and he has become one of the most interesting stars in Asian football. He is still only 23 years old and his goalscoring exploits at former club Buriram United did not go unnoticed.
It is going to be very difficult for the Azkals to overcome the War Elephants in this tie but they must score a home win before they travel to Manila for the second leg. Thailand are a composed outfit and will not rush themselves against the Philippines but they will be looking to get the hard work done on Saturday.
Thailand are likely to make it to the final but they know that if their concentration is at all compromised in the next few days, they could see themselves dumped out of the Suzuki Cup.
