Thailand coach Milovan Rajevac sees Sunday's King's Cup final as the "biggest challenge" his men have ever faced, but he can take heart from the way Slovakia played in their first match of the tournament.
While Slovakia did dominate the United Arab Emirates in the first half and eventually won 2-1, they were clearly out of breath in the late stages of the tournament opener at Rajamangala National Stadium on Thursday.
The prevailing hot weather is likely to give the War Elephants a big advantage in Sunday's final at the same venue provided they can keep their rivals from running riot in the first half as they did against the UAE.
Addressing a pre-match news conference yesterday, Rajevac had no hesitation in admitting that Slovakia not only had a better Fifa ranking but had better players also.
"This year, the tournament is full of top teams and they all have good players," said Rajevac.
"I am very proud that the Thai national team have reached the final of this year's King's Cup.
"In the previous match, we played Gabon, who are a strong team. We had several chances to score goals against the African team but did not take them.
"But our teamwork was great as every player helped every other player during the match. We eventually won 4-2 in a penalty shoot-out and qualified for the final."
The match between Thailand and Gabon ended in a goalless tie in regulation. Under the King's Cup regulations, no extra time is granted in case of a tie after 90 minutes and the match is decided on penalties.
Rajevac added: "We have a problem in scoring goals. Slovakia will be tougher opponents for our team than Gabon because they have a much higher Fifa ranking.
"It will be Thailand's most challenging game in the past 10 years. However, we hope that we will put on an impressive show.
"Slovakia are the best team in this tournament and the Thai players will gain a lot of experience by playing with this European team. I still believe that the Thai team can defend the title and make the Thai football fans proud."
The Serbian coach added: "Mongkol Thossakrai was injured in the first game. We are not sure if he will be able to play in the final."
Slovakia coach Jan Kozak said: "Our players have problems with the weather because most of them play in Europe. They were left exhausted in the 10-15 minutes of match with the UAE.
"We have had two days of rest which should help the players regain fitness.
"We observed the Thai team's performance in the first game. They are a good team but I am confident that Slovakia can capture the title. It should be an exciting game for the fans."
Slovakia defender Milan Skriniar, who plays for Inter Milan, said: "It is the first time for our team to come to Thailand. I liked the atmosphere during the first match.
"I hope that there will be many fans at the venue for the final to cheer both teams. We will do our best to claim the trophy."
Earlier in the afternoon, Gabon will take on the UAE in the third-place play-off.
Gabon coach Jose Antonio Camacho said: "Our players had some problems with fitness as they were left jaded by the long travel and the big time difference also had an effect on their performance.
"But now we have adapted ourselves to the weather here.
"I believe that in the third-place match with the UAE, our players can get a good result. The UAE are a good team but Gabon will do their best to win the match."
UAE coach Alberto Zaccheroni said: "In the previous game with Slovakia, we have tested many players and also our tactics.
"The reason behind taking part in this tournament is to prepare the team for the AFC Asian Cup in the UAE next year.
"We have worked out the things and we are now ready for the game with Gabon. We hope to win the match.
"I have told the players to do their best and to learn as much as they can from this match."
Both matches will be televised live by Thai Rath HD (Channel 32).