Defending champions Thailand will be at a disadvantage when they meet Vietnam in Hanoi in the first leg of the AFF Mitsubishi Electric Cup final tomorrow, War Elephants coach Mano Polking said.
The Thais reached the title showdown after easing to a 3-0 victory over Malaysia in the second leg of the semi-finals at home to progress 3-1 on aggregate.
Having lost the first leg 1-0 in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday, Thailand began the return meeting at Thammasat Stadium with a clear intent and Teerasil Dangda headed them in front inside 20 minutes before Bordin Phala added a second 10 minutes into the second half.
Substitute Adisak Kraisorn, who replaced the injured Teerasil, netted the hosts' third with a little under 20 minutes to play as six-time champions Thailand return to the final for a record-extending 10th time.
For Teerasil, Tuesday's strike extended his record goals in the biennial event to 25, five in the current edition.
"We have to give credit to all the players. The Thai fans looked very proud of every player," Polking said after the match.
The German-Brazilian tactician said the first leg of the final at Hanoi's My Dinh National Stadium would be difficult.
"They will have a lot of advantages in the first leg. They will play at home and have an extra rest day. They had a full rest day today [Tuesday]," Polking said.
"We will try to get a good result before we play the final game of the tournament at home."
The second leg will take place at Thammasat Stadium on Monday.
Polking said he did not know the extent of Teerasil's injury.
"This should not be a big problem because we have Adisak who can play in his place," he said.
Malaysia coach Kim Pan-Gon said he took sole responsibility for the loss.
"We will go back and learn from all mistakes," said the South Korean.
Vietnam defeated Indonesia 2-0 in Hanoi on Monday to advance to the final after a scoreless draw in Jakarta.
Vietnam coach Park Hang-Seo and his players will be on a revenge mission after they lost to Thailand in the semi-finals of the previous edition.
Both Thailand and Vietnam have been poor travellers in the ongoing tournament.
In their away games on the way to the final, Thailand could only beat whipping boys Brunei 5-0 in Kuala Lumpur, drew 1-1 at Indonesia and lost 1-0 at Malaysia.
Similarly, Vietnam won 6-0 at minnows Laos and had two scoreless draws at Singapore and Indonesia.
Thailand have won the tournament a record six times, while Vietnam have been crowned champions twice.