Thailand eying Tiger Cup hat-trick

Thailand eying Tiger Cup hat-trick

Agence France-Presse, Jakarta

Thailand will be aiming to cement its status as the undisputed king of Southeast Asian soccer when the fourth Tiger Cup kicks off here Sunday.

The Thais have been the dominant force in the six short years of the tournament, which comprises member nations from the ASEAN Football Federation and is being co-hosted this year in Singapore and Indonesia.

Thailand's victories in 1996 and 2000 and its five consecutive soccer gold medals at the Southeast Asian Games have made them overwhelming favorite to retain its crown.

Currently coached by former England international Peter Withe, the Thais also impressed during the recent Busan Asian Games where they went all the way to the semifinals.

Withe's main concern is that his squad has only been together for the past two weeks for centralized training, while the team's ASEAN rivals are already in advanced preparations.

"It will be an uphill task to prepare the team to take on Indonesia, Myanmar, Singapore and Vietnam, who started training three months ago," said Withe.

"But I believe if the players can get to high levels of physical fitness, we will stand a good chance of winning," he added.

The Thais will be missing veteran midfielder Tawan Sripan due to injury, but star striker Kiatisuk Zico' Senamuang and influential midfielder Therdsak Chaiman should provide plenty of firepower.

The champion opens the defense of its crown on Wednesday in Group B, with a match against Laos in Singapore. Singapore and Malaysia make up the group.

Host Indonesia will fancy its chances of advancing from Group A, in Jakarta, which also includes Vietnam, Myanmar, Cambodia and the Philippines.

Vietnam plays Cambodia in Sunday's tournament opener, with Indonesia meeting Myanmar in the weekend's other game.

Group A (in Jakarta) Indonesia Vietnam Myanmar Philippines Cambodia

Group B (in Singapore) Singapore Thailand Malaysia Laos