Thai women's football team coach Naruepol Kaenson expects a tough SEA Games semi-final against Myanmar on Friday but is confident the Chaba Kaew will reach the final.
Naruepol told a pre-match press conference on Thursday that Myanmar were a much better team now.
"We are happy that we are in the semi-finals and we now face Myanmar, a team who have developed a lot," said Naruepol.
"They have changed and have a different style of play now. They have a Japanese coach who has helped them improve a lot.
"We cannot take them for granted anymore and must do our best in the semi-final to get the result we want.
"It's an important game for us as we want to reach the final.
"We have prepared the team well for the match and our players are looking forward to the match."
The semi-final at the Army Stadium will kick off at 7pm and will be live on channels GMM25 and T-Sport 7.
The other semi-final between hosts Cambodia and Vietnam will be played at the Olympic Stadium, starting at the same time.
- Honda quits job -
Japan football legend Keisuke Honda left his post as Cambodia's general manager on Thursday, after a disappointing Southeast Asian Games on home soil.
Honda, an Asian Cup winner with his country who also played for AC Milan, had previously said he would bring an end to his five-year tenure after the Games.
In his swan song, the hosts came third in the five-team group after losses to Indonesia and Myanmar in the men's tournament.
"A project in Cambodia that started in 2018 has ended," wrote Honda on Twitter, adding he "wasn't able to finish the last tournament with a satisfying result".
The Cambodian football association also said it was "regretful" that Honda's team could not make it past the group stage. Bangkok Post/AFP