Ahead Of The 2020 AFF Cup Final, Thailand Coach Calls Indonesia An Uncomfortable Team To Play Against

Indonesian national team (Photo: PSSI)

JAKARTA - The 2020 AFF Cup has entered the final round which brings together Indonesia and Thailand. Ahead of the decisive match which will be played over two legs on Wednesday and Saturday, Alexandre Polking revealed important things about the Garuda Squad.

The Thai coach admitted that Indonesia was an uncomfortable team to play against. This was revealed by Polking after realizing how the Garuda squad performed during the group phase to the semifinals.

"I've watched Indonesia's matches, they are generally a team that is uncomfortable to play against with variety and aggressive play," Polking said as quoted from the official AFF website on Monday, December 27.

The final match between Indonesia vs Thailand will be the fourth meeting for the two teams. In the previous three meetings, in the 2000, 2002 and 2016 AFF Cup finals, Thailand successfully defeated Indonesia.

However, in the 2020 final, the possibility of the National Team to win the title is still wide open, given the significant improvement in the team's performance under Shin Tae-yong's tutelage.

By reflecting on the appearance of the national team throughout the group phase, Polking also did not hesitate to praise the Garuda squad, which he said was different from their previous opponent, namely Vietnam.

"I respect the Indonesian team who have played well and this will be a different match than against Vietnam," he said.

However, Polking still reminded his troops to remain vigilant, considering that the match against the national team was a tough match. Especially with a fairly short rest period which will more or less affect their performance.

"It will be a very tough match because we only have two days of rest to prepare for this match, everyone has to be vigilant," said Polking.

Thailand itself successfully stepped into the 2020 AFF Cup final after beating Vietnam 2-0 on aggregate. In two reliefs that took place Thursday and Sunday night, Thailand won two goals without reply and held the reigning champions to a goalless draw.

Meanwhile, Indonesia previously won 5-3 on aggregate. The final of Indonesia vs Thailand will be held on Wednesday 29 December and Saturday, January 1, 2022.