Compared to the Thailand squad that secured silver at SEA Games 33, coach Thawatchai's team is missing 10 players for the Asian tournament due to club commitments. These absences include top scorer Yotsakorn Burapha, captain midfielder Seksan Ratree, midfielder Kakana Khamyok, and center-back Chanapach Buaphan.

U23 Thailand coach, Thawatchai Damrong-Ongtrakul. Photo: Daily News

The team retains a few players considered stars by Thai media, such as Ikhlas Sanharn, Sittha Boonlha, and 1.86 m tall defender Wichan Inaram. However, coach Thawatchai expressed surprise at the absence of 10 key players, having initially expected only a few to be unavailable.

"Without Yotsakorn, Thailand's attack will be weakened," Daily News quoted coach Thawatchai. "We must find a balance between offense and defense. When facing Asian teams, Thailand cannot play as offensively as we did at SEA Games 33."

Thailand is currently gathered and training at Yamaoka Hanasaka Academy, Pathum Thani. The team will fly to Saudi Arabia on the evening of 3/1 and will not play any friendly matches against tournament opponents. In contrast, Vietnam is scheduled to play a friendly with Syria. As of 29/12, Thailand was only missing one player from their 23-man squad list for the tournament.

Thailand is in Group D of the U23 Asian Cup finals, facing Australia on 8/1, Iraq on 11/1, and China on 14/1. Coach Thawatchai aims for a draw against Australia in the opening match. Daily News noted, "To achieve that, Thailand must neutralize the opponent's aerial play."

Thailand's objective is to reach the quarterfinals. However, coach Thawatchai believes the personnel shortage will impact this plan. Since taking over the team about six months ago, he has relied on a core group of players from the SEA Games. Nevertheless, he emphasized that the team still possesses other players with potential and a strong desire to perform. The coaching staff wants to prevent players from being psychologically affected by the unexpected results at the recent SEA Games, urging the entire team to continue moving forward.