Thais can compete against any Asian team, says U23 coach Issara

Thais can compete against any Asian team, says U23 coach Issara

Getting ready: Thailand U23 team players have light exercises in a pool in Doha on Saturday.
Getting ready: Thailand U23 team players have light exercises in a pool in Doha on Saturday.

Thailand youth team coach Issara Sritaro will be handing the captain's armband to three different players for their first round games of the AFC U23 Asian Cup in Qatar.

The Thai squad landed in Doha on Friday night and had a light training session on Saturday ahead of their Group C games. The three other teams in the pool are Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Tajikistan.

Issara said on Saturday that he has appointed three captains -- Soponwit Rakyart, Chanaphat Buaphan and Purachate Todsanit -- for the team's three opening round matches of the round-robin phase.

The coach also expressed confidence that his men will do their best in the tournament, which will start tomorrow and end on May 3.

"The team did well during a four-day training session at home, but we are still worried about the fitness level of some of the players," he said.

"Our players have the potential to compete against any country in Asia -- they just need to play at their best. I think we can get points from matches against the teams in our group.

"It also helped that the national team coach Masatada Ishii joined the team for training. The guys were really happy to work with him."

Three top teams from the tournament will qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympic with the fourth side going into an inter-continental play-off.

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