Thailand might be ranked No.120 in the world and be missing their captain, goalkeeper and three other front-liners, but Socceroos coach Holger Osieck will be a wary man at Suncorp Stadium.
The reason? Osieck knows new Thai coach and fellow German Winfried Schaefer all too well.
Schaefer has only been in the job for two months but has already started turning things around for Thailand after replacing former England captain Bryan Robson.
Best known for leading Cameroon to the 2002 African Nations Cup title and 2002 World Cup, he has also re-invigorated the War Elephants.
Thailand line up in the World Cup group qualifier on Friday night, courtesy of a dramatic two-leg play-off result against Palestine, winning 3-2 on aggregate after a 1-0 result at home and 2-2 draw away.
Osieck admitted he was on guard for his astute compatriot to produce a surprise or two.
“I’ve known him for quite a while and I know he’s pretty smart and he always tries to find out some very shrewd thing,” Osieck said.
“So I’m aware of that and I’m expecting something in that respect.”
Schaefer must work his best magic with captain and key defender Nataporn Phanrit, keeper Thammasatchanan Kawin and Suree Sukha, Nattapong Samsana and Panupong Wongsa all unavailable.
But he stressed his underdogs had no fear.
“Our team is ready and we are not afraid,” said Schaefer. “This is a very good test.
“We must go out with courage. If we go out with courage, we have a shot for a good result.”
Seen as the easybeats of a group also containing Saudi Arabia and Oman, Schaefer said he and the Thai team were motivated to prove the experts wrong.
“It’s good when people talk (teams down) and we’ll go out and change this opinion of people.
“That’s why I’ve come to Thailand.”
While the recently-signed Brett Emerton is the only A-League player in the Socceroos outfit, the entire Thai squad play at home.
Former Melbourne Victory defensive midfielder Surat Sukha is the best-known player among the War Elephants but Schaefer admitted Sukha’s fitness was a concern and he was crossing his fingers he could last at Suncorp.
VIVA-BOLA
Guest
Good jobs Socceroos...
The Cattery
Roar Guru
The start of a new WC qualifying campaign is always an exciting time for Socceroo fans. This is my starting XI: -------------- Schwarzer Wilkshire --- Neill --- Spiranovic --- Zullo ------------------ Jedi -- Emerton -- Holman --- McKay -------------------------Cahill ------------ Jesus A nicely balanced starting XI to ensure there are no slips ups and to get the ball into the onion bag on more than one occasion. Emo and Matty provide good defensive cover while aiding the transition into attack, and gettin forward to set up opportunities, Holman can go box to box all game and be the everywhere man, Timmy can latch on to anything that eludes Josh. There is the question of who we choose between Jedi and Carl, I'd go for Jedi, we don't need both tonight. I suspect that Kruse will get a run late in the game. There is also the question of who will partner Neill, my tip is for Spira to get the nod ahead of the Ogre, and my hope is that this time next year we will be asking who will be partnering Spira (indeed, we will be asking that question for the next 10 years). My tip: Socceroos 3 Thailand 0
Qantas supports Australian Football
Guest
Schaefer a famous name of the 1974 Australian Football Team that went to the 1974 World Cup in Germany----of course they are not the same person but the War Elephant's coach's name just brought back some fond memories for me. This is an important fixture for our guys and it will be important not to go into this match with complacency. As Osie has stated Schaefer would have a plan that could cause an upset. It will be important for our guys to turn on the style and win comfortably.