We will fight for His Majesty, Kiatisak vows

After losing all four of their group games in the Asian last-12 World Cup qualifying, the Thai side are facing a “must-win” game against the Socceroos if they are to keep alive lingering hopes of making their debut in the finals in Russia in 2018.

Given that the Australia fixture takes place amid still-emotional scenes of mourning for the Kingdom’s long-reigning monarch, Kiatisak hopes his players will use the circumstances surrounding the game to their advantage.

“We’re pretty close to 100 per cent ready. We had 19 days of training at Kirin Valley [in Khao Yai, Nakhon Ratchasima], where we focused on building fitness. We have to keep running for the full 90 minutes. We cannot run out of gas. We also reviewed our tactics and analysed the opponents.

“The game is undoubtedly a difficult test. They’re a strong team. Their players’ physique means it’s like playing against a European team. Since we are the home team, we don’t have any fear and we’re determined to fight for the late King and our fans.

“If we can take something from the game, it will definitely put a smile on people’s faces. We’ll play without fear and give it our best shot,” said Kiatisak, whose side are the only one of 12 teams in the decisive qualifying round that is yet to win a point.

While suggesting that the Australians barely have any chinks in their armour, the former national striker is counting on his players’ agility to spring an upset against the visitors who are 40th in the world rankings, making them Asia’s second best team after Iran at 27th.

“They seem to have no weakness. Most of their players play in Europe. They’re strong physically and they clearly have a physical advantage over us. But we’re at home and many things are in our favour – weather, pitch and the crowd.

“It’s down to how we cope with their attack, both on the ground and in the air. Let’s see how well we handle that. They barely have any weak spots so we need to rely on quick play to try to cause them problems.

“We played against top European clubs like Liverpool and Barcelona before. The Australians are strong but they’re still not as good as those top clubs. So, if we show courage to play, anything can happen,” said the 43-year-old.

The sale of tickets for the Australia match has been relatively stagnant compared to previous games, no doubt partly due to the team’s limp performances of late. Kiatisak called on supporters to turn up in numbers to help his men get their campaign off the ground.

“The faith the fans have in our team does not depend on the results. People are more understanding about the team these days. They know it’s very difficult for us to come this far and they know how dedicated we are and the sacrifices we’ve made to be where we are now.

“And we’ve come a long way from the days when we had only 200 to 300 fans at the venue. Not so long ago, our games were sold out in 15 to 20 minutes. I’m convinced there are plenty of people who still support the team. I believe players will see the fact that the fans haven’t abandoned us tomorrow.”

Channel 7 will televise the game live from 7pm.