Indonesia Vs Thailand Prediction, Time To Break The War Elephant Team's Victory Deja Vu

The Indonesian national team is ready to face Thailand in the 2020 AFF Cup final (Twitter @pssi)

JAKARTA - The fierce duel between Indonesia vs Thailand national team in the first leg of the 2020 AFF Cup at the National Stadium, Singapore will be presented on Wednesday, December 29 at 19.30 p.m. Indonesian Western Time (WIB).

The meeting of these two countries was like deja vu a few years ago. Because, the national team and Thailand also had time to meet in the final of the 2016 AFF Cup.

But at that time, Thailand was actually able to reverse the advantage of Indonesia Garuda who won 2-1 in the first leg. The Garuda squad's hope to bring home the winning trophy was crushed by the War Elephant Team in the second leg after winning 2-0.

Reflecting on the final five years ago, this time Indonesia's chance to win is quite large. Under the tutelage of coach Shin Tae-yong, Evan Dimas et al were able to prove their sharpness as the most fertile team during the competition.

In this final, Indonesia is determined to end the 25-year fast without a title in the AFF Cup, as well as break the deja vu five years ago.

To realize that hope, Shin Tae-young is believed to know very well what the Garuda Squad needs to do. With optimism and hard work, the South Korean coach has prepared physically and mentally for his players ahead of the final match.

"Of course I want to be a champion but lifting a trophy doesn't happen just because you want it, being a champion comes your way when you do your best in every game," he told a news conference the day before the match.

"As a coach I have won more than 20 titles and from that experience I want to instill a strong mentality in the players and try to be champions. That mentality is something I keep telling the players about."

Unfortunately, in the first leg, Indonesia's strength will be slightly reduced. Because, left back Pratama Arhan was forced to miss due to accumulation of yellow cards and Racmat Irianto who reportedly suffered a minor injury.

However, the same thing is also experienced by Thailand. They will be without left back Theerathon Bunmathan, who is also suspended. Meanwhile, their strongest pillar, goalkeeper Chatchai Budprom, had to be absent for a long time due to a serious injury against Vietnam.

Meeting Thailand, which lacks a mainstay goalkeeper, will be a golden opportunity for the Garuda Squad to appear pressing. In this final, Shin Tae-yong will likely still rely on the speed of the players.

Through fast play, Indonesia has succeeded in breaking down the opponent's defense several times. However, one thing that must be considered by Asnawi et al is to maintain the focus and tempo of the game after successfully scoring a goal.

Both teams are predicted to be adamant in the first leg of the 2020 AFF Cup final. Because the positive results from this first leg will be key in the second leg which will take place on Saturday, January 1, 2022.

From the records, the meeting between Indonesia and Thailand in the AFF Cup has occurred 12 times. From that meeting, Indonesia was only able to win 3 times and lost 9 times. Three of those meetings took place in the final.