RAYONG (16 August 2023) – Thailand head coach Issara Sritaro firmly believes that the AFF Under-23 Championship 2023 which kicks off tomorrow at the Rayong Stadium will be the perfect avenue for players to shine and create a name for themselves.
Speaking at the pre-match press conference for Group A, Issara said that the teams they will be up against are familiar opponents which they had faced previously at the SEA Games 2023 in Cambodia in the middle of this year.
“We have played against Myanmar before (at the SEA Games) but tomorrow will depend on the condition of the day,” said Issara.
“The players should know that this tournament is a great chance for players to shine. As the head coach, I expect to the champions but there’s no pressure.”
Added Myanmar head coach Michael Feichtenbeiner: “We are in a very good situation with no injuries in the squad. We have brought in some young players to test them out.
“We have played against Thailand and Cambodia before at the SEA Games while this will be our first experience against Brunei.”
With Thailand taking on Myanmar in the second game of the evening tomorrow, the opening tie will see Brunei DS up against Cambodia.
“We have been training for several weeks and last week we played against Laos. It was a good match where we now know what are the areas we need to improve on,” said Brunei DS head coach Atsushi Hanita.
“We are looking forward to our first game where we hope that we can give a good account of ourselves.”
Replied Cambodia head coach Felix Dalmas: “We have with us the new generation of Cambodian players, so we are excited to play against the best players from the region.
“This is a good tournament where we can not only improve ourselves but also improve the standard of football across the region.”
AFF UNDER-23 CHAMPIONSHIP 2023
FIXTURES
17 August 2023 – All matches at the Rayong Stadium
1600hrs: Cambodia vs Brunei DS
2000hrs: Thailand vs Myanmar