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