Fans expect War Elephants to tame China in crucial tie
A Kasem Bundit University poll has revealed that a majority of Thai football fans believe that Japanese coach Masatada Ishii will guide the War Elephants to a victory over China tomorrow.
Thailand take on China in an Asian zone qualifier for the 2026 World Cup before hosting Singapore for their final Group C game on June 11.
The Thais need good results in both matches to keep their hopes of progressing to the 18-team third and final stage of the continental qualifiers alive.
The poll surveyed a total of 1,053 people — 708 males and 345 females.
The results showed that 32.76 percent of the fans expect Thailand to defeat China, while another 31.20 percent rated the War Elephants’ chances of winning tomorrow as high.
Only eight percent of those interviewed said it would be difficult for the Thais to defeat the Chinese in the away game, while a paltry 4.10 percent felt that Ishii’s men had no chance of winning the crucial match at all.
For the June 11 match against Singapore, 34.80 percent said the Thais will defeat the visitors, while another 31.00 percent said the home team have a high chance of claiming three points from the game.
Meanwhile, all 27 members of the national team had a training session under the supervision of Ishii in the Chinese city of Shenyang yesterday.
The Thai squad landed in Shenyang on Sunday.
South Korea lead the Group C table with 10 points, followed by China, who have seven points, and Thailand with four points. Singapore are at the bottom of the table with only one point.
The top two teams in each of nine groups will advance to the next stage.