Myanmar have laid down the gauntlet to heavyweights Thailand with their coach declaring this is a clash that pits a good team against good individuals as the pair prepare to face off at the National Stadium in Singapore.

Freshly rested having sat out on matchday two, the big news out of the Thai camp is the arrival of their two Japan-based stars in defender Teerathon Bunmathan and the 2014 & 2016 AFF Suzuki Cup MVP Chanathip Songkrasin.

Coach Mano Polking said that the pair have injected fresh energy into the squad although he also confirmed that Danish-based defender Jonathan Khemdee is a doubt as he deals with an illness.

“Jonathan had some kind of illness and left training to go to the hospital so we are still not sure on his status but with Teerathon and Chanathip they’re two good players and it’s not a big surprise that they’ll start to tomorrow," said Polking.

“Their condition is good and they’ve played regularly in Japan and are fit so now it’s finding the best system and players to play around them. We’ve been working on different systems and the training has been at a high level so it’s very difficult for me to decide the first XI.”

Myanmar, meanwhile, are looking to build on a win over Timor-Leste earlier in the week, with their coach Antoine Hey describing the clash with the Thais as a must-win game.

“Of course, the group is very tight and we cannot afford to lose, that’s the reality, we know what is at stake and this is like a final tomorrow," admitted the German. 

The coach was also at pains to point out that all the pressure is on Thailand rather than his side.

“We know that they have good individuals but we are a good team and we will see how that plays out tomorrow.

“I see in the Thailand media that they are already talking about the final with Vietnam but having watched their first match I can see that there are better teams at the tournament than Thailand.

“We have never beaten Thailand I think in 13 matches so all the pressure is with them but, like I said, it is a clash of a good team versus good individuals and we will see tomorrow what weighs more.”