International football returns to the spotlight with several nations across Southeast Asia gearing up for some thrilling match-ups this week.
Indonesia will resume their FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers with challenging matches against Japan and Saudi Arabia, while for countries like Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore, it will be their last chance to finetune their squads before the ASEAN Mitsubishi Electric Cup™ 2024.
The window will also see Brunei Darussalam travel to Krasnodar to face Russia in an exciting contest for the Hornets.
Shin Tae-yong’s Indonesia are still searching for their first win in the third round of the World Cup qualifiers, but they’ve put on some impressive displays against some of Asia’s best sides – including when they were held 2-2 by a stoppage-time equaliser from Bahrain last month.
It was their third draw from as many matches in the competition before a first defeat to China PR on 15 October. They will now face their biggest test of the third round when they welcome Asia’s top-ranked side Japan, featuring the likes of Wataru Endo and Kaoru Mitoma, to a sold-out Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta on Friday.
The two sides last met at the 2023 AFC Asian Cup when the Samurai Blue recorded a 3-1 win in the group stage. Meanwhile, their last meeting in the World Cup qualifiers came in 1989 when Japan ran out 5-0 winners.
Four days later, Shin’s side will host Saudi Arabia who they held 1-1 in their third round opener. But unlike in September, it will be Herve Renard who will be in charge of their opponents, having returned to replace Roberto Mancini in October.
Southeast Asian champions Thailand, gunning for their third straight title at the ASEAN Championship starting 8 December, will face Lebanon at Thammasat Stadium on Thursday. They will also face Laos in an all-ASEAN clash at the same venue on Sunday.
“I have already made it clear to everyone that I intend to use these two matches to test players ahead of the ASEAN Championship and I am happy that none of the 23 players selected for these friendlies has opted to pull out,” Thailand head coach Masatada Ishii said.
Laos will also be in action against Malaysia in Bangkok on Thursday. The Harimau Malaya will then travel to Hyderabad to face India, who are ranked eight places above them, on Monday. The Malaysians suffered a 4-0 defeat to New Zealand in their last match in October.
“It’s a good opportunity for us to play in two games with two different approaches. I expect two difficult away games but it is good for us and we learned a lot from the previous games in New Zealand,” said Malaysia head coach Pau Marti Vicente.
Singapore will host Myanmar on Thursday before facing Chinese Taipei four days later in their first international fixtures since a 3-1 defeat to the Thais in the second round of the World Cup qualifiers in June.
Tampines Rovers midfielder Kyoga Nakamura is in line to make his debut for the Lions after being called up by head coach Tsutomu Ogura.
“Like June, I hope the players will play a good game for the fans. It is important in our preparations for the ASEAN Championship. This is the most important thing,” said Ogura.
Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore are pooled together in Group A of the ASEAN Mitsubishi Electric Cup™ 2024 along with Cambodia and Timor-Leste.
Myanmar, with former Shan United boss Myo Hlaing Win in charge, will also face Lebanon at Thuwunna Stadium in Yangon on Tuesday.
Philippines, who are in Group B of the ASEAN Championship with Myanmar, Vietnam, Indonesia and Laos, will face Hong Kong away in a friendly on Thursday.
Meanwhile, Brunei DS, who were beaten 1-0 on aggregate by Timor-Leste in the qualifying playoffs for the ASEAN Mitsubishi Electric Cup™ 2024 last month, will face Russia on Friday. The Russians are ranked 34th in the world and beat Vietnam 3-0 in September.
Photo: Football Association of Thailand
Share now
