Key Info
Match: Thailand vs India.
Date: June 4, 2025.
Kickoff time: 6:00 PM IST.
Venue: Thammasat Stadium, Pathum Thani, Thailand
The Big Picture
India will take on Thailand with one eye on their June 10 Asian Cup qualifier match against Hong Kong as Manolo Marquez plays his first match as full-time manager of the national team (he left FC Goa after the ISL season ended earlier this year). A good performance here will be critical, especially considering Marquez's rough start to life as India coach. With only one win in six games (2L, 3D), he needs to get some winning momentum into the team pronto.
Thailand, meanwhile, will not make for the easiest opponents. Unlike India, they have been in a decent vein of form over the past year. They reached the final of the ASEAN Championship in the beginning of the year (where they lost narrowly to Vietnam) and come into this game having won three of their last five matches. Their manager, Japan's Masatada Ishii has been with the team for two years now and has a good record: 12 wins and six draws in 24 matches. He'll have the same intention as Marquez -- experiment a bit but try to build up positive impetus ahead of their Asian Cup qualifier against Turkmenistan.
"It's a good friendly game for both teams because we are in a similar situation [preparing for their respective the Asian Cup Qualifiers]," said coach Marquez in a short, straightforward pre-match press conference.
Thailand are currently above India in the FIFA rankings, coming in at 99 against India's 127.
Team News
India: Once again, there is no space for Gurpreet Singh Sandhu in the India squad, with Vishal Kaith seemingly cementing his place as India #1. Sunil Chhetri remains un-retired, of course, while uncapped players Suhail Bhat (striker, Mohun Bagan), Nikhil Prabhu (central defensive midfielder, Punjab FC), Gurmeet Singh (goalkeeper, NorthEast United FC) and Hrithik Tiwari (goalkeeper, FC Goa) have also travelled with the squad. Importantly, Lallianzuala Chhangte is back in the squad after missing the Bangladesh qualifier (a 0-0 draw) with injury.
Thailand: Striker Patrik Gustavsson, who scored all three of the goals Thailand scored against Afghanistan and Sri Lanka in the March international window, is unavailable, which means Supachai Chaided will probably start up top.
Key Players
India: Sunil Chhetri. At 40-years-old and freshly unretired, Chhetri remains the pivotal figure in Indian football. With goals scarce for the national team, Marquez will be hoping his main man steps up in Bangkok against a team he scored a brace against in the 2019 Asian Cup.
Thailand: Chanathip Songkrasin. With 70 caps under his belt, Songkrasin's attacking midfield skills are still key for the Thai national team. With Gustavsson out, he'll shoulder even more of the attacking burden and the result could well depend on how well India can stop him from dictating play in their defensive third.
Head-to-Head
Played: 26.
India wins: 7.
Thailand wins: 12.
The recent past has favoured India, though. They beat Thailand 4-1 in the Asian Cup and 1-0 in the bronze medal match of the King's Cup, both in 2019. This is their first meeting since then. Marquez said it's "practically impossible to compare the games," when asked about this favourable recent H2H at the presser. This was a thought mirrored by coach Ishii, "I wasn't the coach at that time, and a lot of players were different. So, it doesn't matter."
Expected Lineups
India (4-2-3-1): Kaith (GK); Boris, Bheke, Jhingan, Bose; Apuia, Suresh; Chhangte, Brandon, Liston; Chhetri.
Thailand (4-2-3-1): Khammai (GK); Mickelson, Dolah, Khemdee, Doloh; Pomphun, Chamrasamee; Muenta, Songkrasin, Sarachat; Chaided.