There is the likely prospect of goal difference playing a role in deciding the top two teams from the two groups who would progress into the last four after the opening round.

On Friday, Chanwit's men, who were toothless in attack, were on the verge of an embarrassing defeat. A dramatic equaliser from Suchao Nutnum saved the day for the three-time champions who escaped with a 1-1 draw against a resilient Burmese side. In another match, Malaysia made merry at the expense of the Filipinos thrashing them 4-0.

Having claimed only a single point instead of the expected three points from a game they dominated almost totally, Thailand might now face the prospect of failing to qualify for the semi-final if they don't win by a big margin over minnows the Philippines.

National team head coach Chanvit received bad news ahead of the match against the Philippines today after captain Kiartisak Senameung felt a sore pain in his back caused by robust tackles on him in the first game, leaving the veteran striker a doubtful starter. Moreover, first-team player Nirut Surasieng is still struggling with his back injury, which kept the midfielder sidelined in the 1-1 draw with Burma.

"If Kiartisak could not play, we would use Sarayoot [Chaikamdee] and Pipat [Tonkanya] to lead the frontline. Both are the forwards who have speed and their fitness should make our attack more effective.

"In midfield, if Nirut does not recover from his injury, Pichitpong Choeichiw, who is good at attacking, would come in place of Hatthaporn [Suwan] who played in the role of a defensive midfielder in the opener.

"For the defence, Choaktawee Promrat would start in place of Niweat Siriwong because the former is better in supporting our attacking play while the latter is good only at defending," said Chanwit, who guided the team to the title in the King's Cup tournament last month.

Apart from those four positions, Chanwit would stick to the same line-up as in the earlier match. First-choice keeper Kittisak Rawangpa has not recovered from the fever so Kosin Hathairattanakul would retain his place between the posts.

Chanwit said his priority was to get maximum points and he preferred not to pay attention to the scoreline as he expected the Philippines to come with a defensive strategy like other teams when they encounter Thailand. However, the experienced coach believed that if his side scores early, the floodgate would open.

"We need not change our tactics but keep playing in the same style, attacking in a variety of ways. The question is whether we would take our chances.

"I think our attacking play would be better than against the Burmese because the way we played, we made it harder for ourselves in the first game. I don't think our performance on Friday was poor. For me it looked even better than in the King's Cup but we were unable to take the chances.

"The draw did not look good to people but if we had won, they would have thought differently. The critics of our first game will not have any effect on the team's morale. The lads are still full of confidence," added Chanwit.

The match will take place at Suphachalasai stadium. Channel 7 and Star Sports will televise the match live from 7pm.