Turkmenistan host Thailand at the Ashgabat Stadium on Tuesday for their second game in the 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers. Ranked 142nd in the world, the Greens began their campaign with a narrow 2-1 win over Chinese Taipei back in March.
Elman Tagayew fired them in front after 48 minutes but Ange Kouame equalized for the Blue Wings just past the hour mark. Yazgylyc Gurbanow then restored the Turkmen's lead in the 83rd minute which proved enough to earn them all three points.
With that, the Greens sit at the top of Group D with three points, ahead of Thailand by virtue of having scored more goals. But lately, the latter have hit a purple patch in their run.
After starting the year with consecutive defeats to Vietnam in the 2024 ASEAN Championship finals, Thailand have turned it around in style since then. They beat Afghanistan 2-0 in a friendly game before a narrow 1-0 win over Sri Lanka in the Asian Cup qualifiers. Last week, the War elephants extended their winning run to three games with a 2-0 defeat of India.
Thailand are on a good run of form right now and come into the fixture as favorites. Turkmenistan began their campaign with a victory but lack the gametime and quality to match their opponents.
The War elephants may come away with a narrow victory.
Prediction: Turkmenistan 1-2 Thailand
Tip 1 - Result: Thailand to win
Tip 2 - Goals over/under 2.5: Over 2.5 goals
Tip 3 - Both teams to score: Yes