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Marquez opined that the circumstances surrounding the upcoming friendly fixture between India and Thailand are completely different to the previous meetings between the sides.
Manolo Marquez. (X)
The Indian football team are set to face familiar foes Thailand in a friendly on the 4th of June at the Thammasat Stadium in Pathum Thani.
India play the exhibition fixture against Thailand as a tune-up event ahead of the Blue Tigers’ Asian Cup Qualifier against Hong Kong, while Thailand are set to take on Turkmenistan in the qualifiers. Indian head coach Manolo Marquez touched upon the similar situation the sides find themselves in ahead of their respective qualifier fixtures.
“We are preparing for the game against Hong Kong, and Thailand are preparing for Turkmenistan. It’s a good friendly game for both teams because we are in a similar situation,” Marquez said during the pre-match press conference.
The hosts boast a better head-to-head record against India with 12 wins for Thailand, 7 for India and 7 draws, however, the Blue Tigers can seek to draw inspirtation from their recent victories against the Changsuek as India managed to beat Thailand 4-1 at the AFC Asia Cup 2019, and 1-0 in the King’s Cup.
Marquez, however, opined that the circumstances surrounding the upcoming fixture are completely different to the meeting between the sides over half-a-decade ago.
“Those games were a long time ago. It wasn’t last week or last month. I think both teams have changed players since then,” the Spaniard said.
“I spoke with the players who played that game. It’s practically impossible to compare the games,” he added.
“I expect a good game. We are here to win, and obviously, if you ask me if we can repeat the score of 2019, that would be great,” the 56-year-old added.
Thailand, who have climbed 14 places since Japanese coach Masatada Ishii took charge in December 2023, stand 99th in the FIFA rankings as compared to the 127th-placed India.
Thai head coach Ishii also alluded to the changes that the sides have undergone since their last meeting and sought to pick up a win over India to generate momentum going into the Asia Cup qualifier.
“We lost the last two games against India, but there have been a lot of changes. I wasn’t the coach at that time, and a lot of players were different. So, it doesn’t matter. We want to win against India and use this game as preparation for Turkmenistan,”
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