Thailand
Do not let their unfathomably high FIFA ranking fool you, Thailand are going to struggle to make a splash at the World Cup in France. A team which has created history whilst repeatedly defying the odds to make their way into a second straight World Cup, the Thai squad certainly do have some pedigree after taking the Matildas all the way to penalties in their 2017 Asian Cup semi-final.
Whilst some Thai players are tricky customers when in form, the team’s best asset is how they work together in defence to upset more technically adept teams and this competition will be no exception. With that said, as the USA and Sweden are their first two opponents, it’s hard to foresee anything but misery for the Thai ladies in the upcoming tournament. There is an interesting dynamic where a third place team can continue on into the Round of 16 though, and Thailand will be hoping to keep their goal difference decent and maybe snag a draw in those first two games. From there it’s a fixture with Chile, which will likely be a must win for the Chaba Kaew (Thailand) if they are to progress through this tournament. Can Thailand defy the odds once more and prove this writer and the world wrong?
PREDICTION: 4th
Fact: In the 2015 iteration of the World Cup, Thailand were one of two unfortunate teams to place third in their group and not progress through to the knockout stage. Heartbreakingly, it was 2019 group rivals Sweden who finished one spot ahead of them on the ‘ranking of third place teams’, only by goal difference.
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