Thailand U23 team head coach Worrawoot Srimaka warned his players not to take their Group J opener of the AFC U23 Championship qualifiers against hosts Mongolia lightly. Worrawoot told a pre-match news conference that he was wary of the Mongolian team’s counter-attacking skills.

“I am sure it will be an exciting match during which we would need to be on our toes all the time, especially in the midfield and defence. Mongolia have improved a lot, but we have the potential to do well. We have the strikers who can deliver three points to us. The first match of any event is always important and the key for us will be to avoid conceding an early goal” he said.