Kiatisak spent a considerable length of time in Vietnam both as a player and coach and the former national team striker was cheerfully greeted by a large number of his Vietnamese fans when he arrived with the Thai squad in Hanoi.
Thailand take on Vietnam in their fourth Group F match holding a slight psychological edge over their rivals following their close 1-0 win in the home game in May.
The Thais are the group leaders with seven points to their credit.
Iraq are in second place with five points while Vietnam are third with four after playing three matches each. Taiwan have yet to claim a point.
The Thai team landed in the Vietnamese capital yesterday morning and had a training session in the evening at the My Dinh Stadium.
Kiatisak was quick to warn his players to keep themselves warm as “the weather in Hanoi is quite cold with some drizzle.
“The Vietnamese fans have been good but obviously they would want to see their team win. We will not let them have an easy day.
“We will be playing entertaining football to impress the Vietnamese fans and as well as the Thai people back home.”
The Thai coach added, “To play Vietnam is never easy and when you take them on at their home ground and in front of their own crowd, the things become even tougher.
“They are always very strong while playing at home and they are known for their knack for hard tackles.
“The most important thing for our players will be to control their temper. We would have to play our own game and play it in a fair manner. That is why I want this match to be an exhibition of our skills and talent.
“We have Messi Jay [Chanathip Songkrasin] but then Vietnam have their Messi Vietnam [Nguyen Cong Phuong].
“I am sure they are equally keen to put on an impressive show. We are the top two Asean teams and it would be great if we can both qualify for the next stage of Asian qualifiers.”
The eight group winners and four best runners-up make it to the continent’s final qualifying round for Russia 2018.
Kiatisak said, “We are now the group leaders and we are looking forward to a victory over the Vietnamese team as it will brighten our prospects for moving ahead.
“After this game, we will play against Taiwan in Thailand and the last game will be against Iraq so a win here against Vietnam will ease a lot of pressure before the remaining matches.”
Meanwhile, Worawi Makudi, President of the Football Association of Thailand (FAT), has announced a bonus of B 1-million for each goal that the Thai team score in the qualifier.
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