Head-to-head history of U23 Philippines vs U23 Thailand: Thailand wins all

Recent form of both teams

The Philippines U23 entered the semi-finals with a decent performance, winning against Brunei U23 (2-0) and Malaysia U23 (2-0), but lost to Vietnam 1-2 in the semi-finals. Despite showing improvement in organization and fighting spirit, coach Andres Gonzales' team still revealed many weaknesses in defense, especially a lack of coordination and poor ability to defend against high balls.

Meanwhile, U23 Thailand is rated higher in terms of both strength and professional quality. However, their journey in this year's tournament has not been really smooth for them. Drawing against Myanmar and Indonesia in a weaker match, the Golden Temple team had to stop in the semi-finals after a penalty shootout with host Indonesia. However, Thailand is still a classy team with many outstanding individuals, especially Burapha and Otton in attack.

Head-to-head history: Thailand won absolutely

In the last 3 confrontations at the U23 level, U23 Thailand won all 3 matches against U23 Philippines, scoring a total of 12 goals and conceding only 1. In the most recent meeting in August 2023, Thailand crushed the Philippines with a score of 5-0 - a match that showed clear superiority in terms of physique, speed and finishing ability.

Looking further back, the gap is still clear: in 2017, Thailand won 2-0; in 2015, they won 5-1. The Philippines U23 team has never earned a single point in any meeting with the Thais, and the gap in football level between the two countries remains a big barrier.

History calls the name of U23 Thailand, but the present is still a question mark for U23 Philippines. The third-place match will be an opportunity for Thailand to reaffirm its position, while the Philippines hopes to create the first surprise in a confrontation that is always tilted in favor of its opponent.