Incredibly, 10 of the 12 previous AFF Cup finals have featured either Thailand, Indonesia or both, with the 2018 showpiece event between Vietnam and Malaysia and the 1998 finale between Singapore and the Vietnamese the only time neither was present.

A Thailand team featuring War Elephants icon Kiatisuk Senamuang was the tournament’s early dominant force, winning the inaugural edition in 1996 and then beating Indonesia in the 2000 and 2002 finals to make it three from four. 

The next five editions of the AFF Cup would see either Indonesia or Thailand finish as runners-up, with the Garuda losing a third successive final, against Singapore, in 2004 and then to their biggest rivals Malaysia in 2010, while in 2007, 2008 and 2012 it was the Thais who felt the heartache of defeat. 

Chanathip Songkrasin’s emergence in the 2014 edition helped Thailand end their 12-year drought, with his stunning late goal in the second leg of the final against Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur sealing a 4-3 aggregate win, the title and the MVP award. 

Two years later Chanathip picked up the individual accolade once more, and it was he who set up Siroch Chatthong for the goal that helped Thailand seal a 3-2 aggregate victory over Indonesia at Rajamangala Stadium as the Garuda were dealt another shattering defeat. 

Without Chanathip and a number of other overseas-based stars, the Thais fell to Malaysia at the semi-finals in 2018, while Indonesia failed to make it out of the group stage as Vietnam were crowned champions for the second time. 

The likes of Chanathip, Theerathon Bunmathan and Teerasil Dangda returned to Alexandre Polking’s Thai squad for the 2020 edition, and the War Elephants stormed through the group stage, picking up four wins from four against Timor-Leste, Myanmar, the Philippines and hosts Singapore.

Teerasil equaled and then broke Noh Alam Shah’s long-standing goalscoring record of 17 with a double against Myanmar drawing him level before a brace against the Philippines moved the BG Pathum United star onto 19 and counting since debuting in 2008. 

Chanathip then starred in the semi-finals against Vietnam, bagging a brace that included a fabulous second at the end of a superb team move in a 2-0 first-leg win before a goalless draw in the second leg sealed a return to the final. 

Indonesia, helmed by the Korean tactician Shin Tae-yong, topped a tough group with an unbeaten record as big wins over Cambodia and Laos were followed by an impressive goalless draw against holders Vietnam and a stunning 4-1 victory against Malaysia. 

That meant they avoided Thailand in the last four and, following a 1-1 first-leg draw against Singapore, they emerged victorious from the return meeting, edging past the nine-man hosts 4-2 on the night after extra-time. 

Having missed the 2018 edition, Japan-based Chanathip has shown exactly why many consider him to be the finest player in Southeast Asia. While his trickery, vision and goals catch the eye, the diminutive Thai captain does not shun the dirty work as the battle-hardened Nakhon Pathom native is also adept at winning the ball back in the middle of the park. 

The much-hyped Egy Maulana arrived later in Singapore than his teammates and didn't feature until the second leg of the semi-final, when he came off the bench to score the crucial fourth goal. With pace, superb movement, technical ability and an eye for goal, Indonesia fans will be hoping their Slovakia-based star can light up the final and fire the Garuda to a first-ever AFF Cup title. 

Thirteen years after scoring his first AFF Cup goal, Teerasil continues to produce the goods for his country. The 33-year-old has scored five goals against Indonesia in the competition over the years, including a group stage hat-trick and a crucial away goal in the final of the 2016 edition. With four goals to his name in the 2020 edition, he goes into the games with Indonesia as the joint top scorer and eyeing the Golden Boot. 

Head coach Shin has injected plenty of youth into the Garuda squad and midfielder Witan Sulaeman is among many young players to have shone brightly in Singapore, registering two goals and three assists so far. The Poland-based 20-year-old is good on the ball, has excellent vision and netted one of the goals of the tournament in the first leg of the semi-final after a fine-flowing Indonesia move.  

Indonesia vs Thailand
1st Leg: December 29, 20:30 (UTC+8)
2nd Leg: January 1, 20:30 (UTC+8)

Photos: ASEAN Football Federation