SINGAPORE — Thailand whipped Myanmar 4-0 in a friendly just a month ago, but Thai coach Choketawee Promrut said their meeting in the 28th SEA Games football final at the National Stadium today will be different affair.

Though Thailand boast eight players from December’s ASEAN Football Federation Suzuki Cup winning side, Choketawee still fears that his opponents can turn the tables this time around, adding that his counterpart Kyi Lwin has transformed the Myanmar side into a speedy, compact team that Thailand must counter by upping the tempo of the game.

To prepare his players for a fast-paced game, Choketawee gave his players the day off yesterday, while his opponents had their last training session in the evening.

“I am surprised with this Myanmar team and I think even they can’t believe they are in the final,” said the 40-year-old, who has won two SEA Games gold medals as a defender for Thailand in the 1997 and 1999 Games. “We may have beaten them last month, but it won’t be easy to beat them now because they are a far improved team from a month ago.”

This will be the fifth time the two sides are meeting in the final of the biennial event. They first met in the 1965 edition and the match ended 2-2. Myanmar, then known as Burma, went on to win the next four editions until 1973, when Singapore first hosted the Games. On that afternoon 42 years ago on Sept 8, they beat South Vietnam 3-2 in what was an electrifying final at the Republic’s new National Stadium.

It was the last time they won gold at the regional Games and at another new National Stadium here, they are hoping history will repeat itself and end their gold medal drought.

But Kyi was a man of few words yesterday on what the final holds for his team. “We watched Thailand play against Indonesia in the semi-final and they are a good team,” he said. “But we have been preparing for this for a long time, so I am confident we can do it. And I don’t think the match will go into extra time. We will win it within 90 minutes.” IAN DE COTTA