Thailand take the field at Thuwunna stadium in Yangon for the first leg of their AFF Suzuki Cup semi-final against Myanmar on Sunday, expecting some hard tackles and lightning counter-attacks.
While Thailand coach Kiatisak Senamuang has been savouring his team's pre-match favourites' tag and openly predicting a win, his Myanmar counterpart Gerd Zeise fired a sugar-coated warning shot yesterday.
The German coach of the Myanmar team hinted at a pre-match press conference that the defending champions should brace themselves for a high-octane battle, which will be televised live by Channel 7 and Fox Sports at 6.30pm (Thai time).
Zeise, while lavishing praise on the Thai team, said his men were keen on giving it their best shot.
He said: "We have not played Thailand for a long time. To play with Thailand at this hour will be tough because they are the top team [in the Asean region].
"We watched them play with other teams in the first round. They are very strong and can make things difficult for our team."
The German coach added: "I confirm that we are ready to do our best and play good football against a top-class team, that is Thailand.
"We will use our strong points. Our players are young and fit and we will make things hard for them.
"Our training atmosphere is very good but right now, many people are attaching high expectations with our young team. I think they should be more realistic. Thailand are a top Asean team and it will be difficult for us to beat them."
Kiatisak told the media that his men cannot afford any lapses in concentration.
"The level of their fitness and the speed of their players are exceptional and these are the strong points of this Myanmar team which make me worry," said Kiatisak.
"We would need to choke their counter-attacks or try to cut them off in their own half."
Kiatisak added: "I think Myanmar did well to qualify for the semi-finals and we are looking forward to the match."
Myanmar finished second behind Vietnam in Group B, while Thailand qualified for the semi-finals as winners of Group A with an unbeaten record.
Kiatisak added: "There is no doubt that Myanmar are a strong team.
"They are a new generation of players who have been nurtured from the junior level continuously.
"They will surely play a tough game with us. Therefore, we will have to stay focused throughout the game and avoid any lapses in concentration.
"As far as I know there will be many Myanmar football fans who will pack the stadium for the match. We also expect some of our fans to be there as well.
"It should be an exciting match and we would like everyone to watch and enjoy the game. I am hoping that my men will play entertaining football.
"Of course, we are here to win the match. We have no other choice.
"However, in the end it's just a football match. We are all friends in the Asean region."
Worapoj Yodsatat, assistant manager of the Thai team, said: "For this match, we will wear the blue jersey, a colour that represents the Royal institution of the country.
"However, the goalkeeper will wear a white jersey with black colour on the sleeves to show respect to the King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who passed away last month.
"We have also requested the host country to increase security for our team."
The War Elephants will take on Myanmar again in Thursday's second leg of the semi-final at Bangkok's Rajamangala National Stadium.
The two-leg final is scheduled to be held on Dec 14 and 17.