Both India and Thailand are confident of taking all three points when they meet in their AFC Asian Cup Group A opener at the Al Nahyan Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Sunday.
The two teams are making a welcome return to the Continental showpiece, with India last appearing in 2011 and Thailand four years earlier.
Drawn in a group that also includes the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, a win for either India and Thailand will go a long way to boosting their hopes of advancing to the Round of 16, a fact not lost on the head coaches of both teams, who also accept that the opener is going to be far from easy.
"We are, obviously, expecting a tough game. Thailand are a very good side," said India's Stephen Constantine.
"However, we think we have prepared very well for Thailand and on Sunday we will find out. I don't think we are under pressure. What we do have is the pressure to win, which is every time as we want to win for India."
Constantine, who has been at the helm for four years, will guide the second youngest squad at the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019.
Since returning as head coach for a second stint, India have improved tremendously and enjoyed a relatively smooth journey in qualifying for the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019.
"What has changed in the four years is our mentality. If before, it was to not lose by many goals, now it is to win. The work rate has also increased. In fact, the reason why we are here is because of the work rate and unity."
The Englishman's assertion was shared by goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, who will make his second appearance in the AFC Asian Cup.
With Constantine saying his injury-free squad are fully aware of what the Thais have to offer, counterpart Milovan Rajevac has declared that his team will head into the tie fully prepared.
The Thais come into the tournament having being dethroned as champions of Southeast Asia, but Rajevac said that is something which is now well and truly behind them.
"The AFF Cup is behind us. Yes, we lost but we played with a team that was missing several regulars who were playing for clubs abroad. It is a completely different situation now. We have the best players available and we are determined to advance to the next round."
If they do progress, it will have been from a group where all the other teams are ranked higher than themselves.
"That will motivate us further. We are looking forward to playing not only India but also UAE and Bahrain as we relish our chances of making the knockout stage.
eam captain Teerasil Dangda said Thailand are determined to deliver results for their fans.
"They have always supported the national team and with Thailand making the AFC Asian Cup for the first time in 12 years, we want it to be a tournament the fans will remember."
India's first hurdle will be to keep the Thailand attack at bay as they have been running rampant in their the AFF Championship campaign which ended on a sour note - they lost to Malaysia on away goals in the two-legged semi-final. The War Elephants scored 17 goals from their six matches at the AFF tournament, without key players such as Teerasil Dangda and Chanathip Songkrasin.
Thailand were favourites to win the AFF Championship and the shock semi-final exit has put added pressure on Milovan Rajevac as he turns his focus onto the Asian Cup. The 118-ranked team likes to stay organised but will look to make use of their pacey, skillful players.
The Indian defence will be put to the test against Thailand's attacking players. Muangthang United's Adisak Kraisorn is in scintillating form in front of goal, having netted eight goals in the AFF Championship to bag the top scorer award.
India will be hoping for a good defensive performance and will take positives from the goalless draw against China in a friendly in October. Sandesh Jhingan has lead the backline well and will shoulder the responsibility in defence along with first-choice goalie Gurpreet Singh Sandhu. The Bengaluru goalkeeper, despite his woeful blunder against Jordan that led to a goal, has been excellent in between the sticks in the Indian Super League (ISL).
A nose injury to Pronay Halder had kept him out of his club's recent fixtures but Stephen Constantine fielded the ATK midfielder for 45 minutes against Oman in the closed-doors friendly last week. Halder's presence in midfied frees Anirudh Thapa and gives him much more freedom to roam forward to join the attack. Against Thailand however, the duo could be forced to play deeper and closer to their defence to fill the gaps in their own half.
Leading the attack will be the ever-present Sunil Chhetri but the form of his teammate and India's first-choice out-and-out striker Jeje Lalpekhlua is a huge concern. While Jeje has proved himself at the international stage and come up with goals when needed, the Chennaiyin FC striker has not scored since June, 2018.
Constantine's first-choice wingers, Udanta Singh and Halicharan Narzary, aren't known for their finishing prowess but offer plenty of pace and workate to maraud up and down the flanks. Their skillset will come into play to either keep the Thailand full-backs pinned in their own half or track their intelligent overlaps at the other end.
Despite India's supremacy over Thailand based on FIFA rankings, the War Elephants will pose a huge threat to India. Realistically, avoiding defeat should be Blue Tigers' primary objective instead of going all-out for a win.
Predicted XI
India (4-2-3-1):
Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Narayan Das, Anas Edathodika, Sandesh Jhingan, Pritam Kotal, Halicharan Narzary, Pronay Halder, Anirudh Thapa, Udanta Singh, Sunil Chhetri, Jeje Lalpekhlua
Thailand (4-2-3-1):
Chatchai Budprom, Theerathon Bunmathan, Pansa Hemviboon, Chalermpong Kerdkaew, Tristan Do, Thitipan Puangchan, Tanaboon Kesarat, Sumanya Purisai, Chanathip Songkrasin, Adisak Kraisorn, Teerasil Dangda
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