Anthony Hudson is confident his Thailand side can build on their dominant displays in the group phase of the ASEAN Hyundai Cup™ 2026 when the seven-times champions face Singapore at Jalan Besar Stadium in the first leg of their semi-final on Saturday.
The Thais are in buoyant form having emerged from Group B, with four wins from four matches and without conceding a goal to set up the two-legged battle with Gavin Lee’s side for a place in the final.
“It’s been a really, really good week of training. I’m very pleased with our preparation,” said Hudson, whose side defeated Myanmar 2-0 in their most recent ASEAN Hyundai Cup™ group match in Bangkok last Saturday.
“The mood in the camp is good, it’s been good all throughout from the start. I don’t think anything’s really changed. We obviously know that the game is a very different game tomorrow with a different opponent whom we respect a great deal.
“But I can assure you we’re absolutely excited for this game as a staff and a playing group.”
Thailand go into the first leg with a strong record against Singapore having won their last 10 meetings in a row, with their most recent clash a 3-2 victory for the Thais at Thammasat Stadium last November.
That encounter came early in the reigns of both Hudson and Lee and the Englishman knows the four-times champions should not be underestimated, either on Saturday or in the second leg at Rajamangala Stadium on Tuesday.
“We have a great deal of respect for Singapore,” said Hudson. “There’ll be no complacency from us. Absolutely none. That will be the message tomorrow. There will be absolutely no complacency tomorrow.
“We are not even allowing ourselves to think about the home game. It’s all about tomorrow and that’s our approach. The second game doesn’t exist for us right now.”
Singapore’s last victory over Thailand came 14 years ago, a 3-1 win at Jalan Besar Stadium in the first leg of the 2012 ASEAN Championship final, but Lee is refusing to allow that recent record to overwhelm him or his players.
“It just informs you, but it doesn’t own us,” said Lee. “If we allow the numbers to own us, then shame on us.
“For us, it only informs us of the kind of challenge that we can expect, and then ultimately the only number is one that we are focused on the next one, which is the next game, and that’s our responsibility now.
“So we are responsible for the game tomorrow and all the games subsequently ahead of us. And so all we can do is to put our attention to what’s important, and that’s us and the next game.”
Singapore secured their place in the semi-finals with a second-place finish in Group A having drawn with both Vietnam and Indonesia and Lee is relishing sending his team into the eagerly-anticipated encounter.
“It’s calm, there’s a lot of excitement, but a lot of calmness as well,” he said of the mood within the squad.
“We’re just very excited to go out there and play in front of a full crowd and full stadium, you know, and hopefully we bring a good performance and bring us into Thailand with a good situation. So very focused, very calm, but a lot of excitement as well.” – aseanutdfc.com
