BANGKOK -- Thailand head coach Kiatisuk Senamuang insists his team are ready to fight their way off bottom spot in Group B as they get set to face Saudi Arabia in a 2018 AFC World Cup qualifier in Bangkok on Thursday.
The Thais felt aggrieved when their campaign got off to losing start as a controversial late penalty gave the Saudis a 1-0 victory in Riyadh last September.
And a bullish Kiatisuk feels it is payback time as a revitalised Thailand go for their first third-round victory at the Rajamangala Stadium.
"Tomorrow, if we win, it will not be because of luck or refereeing but because of hard work and tactics," said Kiatisuk. "Our players have very big hearts and hunger to win. Everyone will play at 100 percent. Saudi Arabia do not have a weak team, but playing at home will make us stronger.
"I told the players that, although we are bottom of the group, we have to fight and show our fans that we are not going to roll over for anyone. We are not under pressure and we are going to demonstrate that any team playing against us will have to put up a fight to get a result."
Despite his confidence, Kiatisuk remains wary of the Saudis but insists they are not the force they were in his playing days. Back in 1996, "Zico" played in a 6-0 AFC Asian Cup defeat to the Green Falcons. But he suggests that the evidence of Matchday One showed how far Thailand had come.
"Saudi is a very strong and dangerous team," said Kiatisuk. "Although we are playing at home, we can't take them lightly, so we have been preparing very well for the match.
"But Saudi were stronger when I was a player, and we suffered heavy defeats. When I saw the first group game, it was great to see our players to play so well. Saudi were very lucky to beat us, with some help from the referee."
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Much attention will be on Bahraini referee Ali Hasan Ebrahim Abdulnabi, with Kiatisuk having questioned his appointment earlier this week. Kiatisuk suggested that the match officials should not have come from a West Asian country.
"We have no say in selecting referees, but the AFC should have assigned one from a neutral country," Kiatisuk told the Bangkok Post. "That is how it has been done in the past and the AFC should have continued the tradition."
There is much intrigue around how the Thais will set up, having seen a 3-4-1-2 formation work well in the 2-2 draw against Australia in November.
On that occasion, Adisorn Promrak, Prathum Chuthong and Tanaboon Kesarat made up the back three, with wing-backs Tristan Do and Theerathon Bunmathan pushing forward and pinning the Aussies back. Kiatisuk must be tempted to go with what turned out to be a tactical masterstroke.
With Sarach Yooyen out with a long-term injury, Kiatisuk must decide who replaces him in the centre of midfield. Charyl Chappuis looks likely to start, but there is a gap to be filled in a defensive midfield role.
Kiatisuk could call on the experience of Adul Lahso or put his faith in Muang Thong United's in-form Wattana Playnum. In the same way that the Thai head coach showed no fear by pitching in the relatively inexperienced striker Sirroch Chatthong against the Socceroos on Matchday Five, Kiatisuk may opt for the midfielder who has performed with distinction in the AFC Champions League this year.
Whatever the formation, Thailand fans will be hoping that the post-match discussions will not be about the refereeing but about Thailand's first-ever victory in the final group stage of World Cup qualifying.
The road to Russia may seem a very distant hope but there is still much to play for.