Coach Schaefer set to experiment against Finland at King's Cup

Thailand coach Winfried Schaefer, right, shakes hands with Finland counterpart Mixu Paatelainen at the pre-match conference.

Thailand coach Winfried Schaefer will experiment with his line-up in the King's Cup match in Chiang Mai today against a Finland side led by Mikael Forssell.

The Thailand-Finland fixture follows a clash between Sweden and North Korea in the four-team tournament, both played at the 700th Anniversary stadium in the northern province, with the winners making it through to the final on Saturday.

The King's Cup is Thailand's first tournament since their failure to reclaim the title at the Asean Championship.

The 62-year-old Schaefer has retained the core of the team that went down 3-2 on aggregate to Singapore in the final last month, with an eye on the upcoming Asian Cup qualifiers.

The most notable absentee from Schaefer's side is the top-scorer from the Asean Championship, striker Teerasil Dangda, who is still in Spain for a trial with Atletico Madrid. Nevertheless, the Thai team will fancy their chances against the European visitors as they bid to win the prestigious Cup for the first time in six years.

The event is not on the Fifa calendar, so Finland were unable to call up their senior players from Europe's major leagues and have instead arrived with a squad of players mostly from the domestic league.

They will be spearheaded by former Chelsea striker Forssell, who currently plays for Finnish champions HJK Helsinki, and midfielder Teemu Tainio, formerly of Tottenham Hotspur.

Schaefer says winning the event remains the priority, but fringe players as well as newcomers will be given the opportunity to prove themselves.

"Germany always have problems playing against Finland. It's a good opportunity for us to test the team. Some of this squad are from the Asean Championship, the rest are new faces who will get the chance to show us what they are capable of.

"We want to win the event because the trophy is from our revered King. We are proud to play in a competition held in honour of the King," said Schaefer.

If the game ends in a draw, there will be 30 minutes of extra time, with a penalty shoot-out to decide the winner if it remains all square. NBT Channel will televise the match live from 7pm.

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Article source: http://www.thethailandlinks.com/2013/01/23/coach-schaefer-set-to-experiment-against-finland-at-kings-cup/