Thailand captain Sarach Yooyen prefers a Southeast Asian (SEA) Games semifinal clash against hosts Singapore on June 13 to test out his side's quality.
The 23-year-old Muangthong United midfielder and poster boy is one of six players from the club currently defending Thailand's SEA Games football title.
After joining Muangthong in 2010 as a youngster, Sarach was identified as a potential central midfield star but could not squeeze his way into the starting lineup. He was loaned out to Phuket FC and Nakhon Ratchasima in 2012 and 2013 respectively.
2014 was Yooyen's breakout year where he saw more time on the pitch with the Twin Qilins, before national team coach Kiatisuk 'Zico' Senamuang showed faith in the youngster and brought him into the senior War Elephants setup.
Zico's faith in him grew stronger as the 2014 AFF Suzuki Cup progressed. Sarach became Thailand's midfield architect, spraying passes like a seasoned professional. He became widely touted in regional circles as Thailand's version of Chelsea star Cesc Fabregas.
With four wins in Group B, the defending champions have already progressed from the group to the semifinals along with Vietnam. But the two nations will face off on Wednesday for group supremacy.
Coach Choketawee Promrut has used all 20 members of his squad across Thailand's four group games. Sarach attributes this to Thailand's quality in all areas of the pitch."Whether it's the reserve players or the main ones, Thailand has got the same quality throughout. Every player is ready to give their all for the country," he said.
Given the captain's armband for the SEA Games, Sarach lauded his club captain and Thai veteran midfielder Datsakorn Thonglao for being a shining role model.
"I learned a lot from Datsakorn Thonglao," said Sarach. "He is a good leader on the pitch and also a role model off it leading a disciplined lifestyle. I'm glad to have learnt from him."
The stylish playmaker's contributions as a first-time captain have not gone unnoticed by coach Choketawee who knew exactly what he was getting when he and Zico decided to name Sarach as the leader.
Choketawee said: "Sarach now has experience of having played for the national team in big tournaments like the AFF Suzuki Cup and also many other key matches during the past year.
"As a captain, he has a lot of leadership qualities and is very good at creating unity."
The midfielder was quick to return the favour: "Choketawee and Zico are two of the best coaches in Thailand and their close friendship is one reason why we are a strong team".
Having confirmed qualification from Group B with four wins on the trot, Sarach has now turned his attention to the semifinal clash. Despite not knowing which of the Group A teams will join Myanmar in the knockout stages, the Thai captain already has a preference as to whom he would love to come up against.
He exclaimed: "I prefer to face off against Singapore even though they have the home crowd behind them because that will test the quality of Thailand.
"There is no extra pressure on the team because we've been together for more than a year now. This may be my first time as captain but I don't feel any pressure. We just have to play our own game."
Choketawee has hinted that he will start his best players for Thursday's final Group B match against Vietnam. If the master tactician keeps his word, fans will have the mouth-watering prospect of watching two of Southeast Asia's emerging midfield generals -- Sarach and Vietnam's Nguyen Cong Phuong -- in an engrossing battle.