Thailand and Uzbekistan are braced for a final day showdown on Tuesday after registering their second consecutive victories in their AFC Asian Cup 2023 qualifiers.
The War Elephants defeated Sri Lanka 2-0, while hosts Uzbekistan flexed their muscles, firing four unanswered goals past the Maldives.
With six points from two matches, the teams will battle for the top spot in Group C.
The six group winners and five best second-placed sides advance to the 24-team finals.
"We are looking forward to the final game against Uzbekistan and will certainly field our best team. We know where their strength lies and we will be prepared to face them," Thailand coach Mano Polking said yesterday.
"It is an important game for our team. Uzbekistan are the group favourites and hosts of the tournament. They have higher ranking than Thailand. So to beat them, we will need our best performance. We know that Uzbekistan have many good players but anything can happen in football.
"We will field our best players. I have confidence in every player who is with the team here. We hope to get a win but a point is fine for our team."
Striker Chayawat Srinawong, who made his Thailand debut in the match against Sri Lanka, will be hoping to be picked by Polking for the match against Uzbekistan.
"With six points from two games, we feel confident. We will have less pressure against Uzbekistan. We are ready to try to get three points and show our potential against a strong team," he said.
