SINGAPORE -- When Thailand take on Singapore at Jalan Besar Stadium in the first leg of the 2026 ASEAN Championship semifinals on Saturday, one opposition player will be more familiar to them than most.
Having plied his trade in Thai League 1 from the middle of July 2024 before his recent move back to Singapore with Lion City Sailors, Ilhan Fandi is well acquainted with many in the War Elephants squad -- both as teammates and opponents at club level.
The Lions striker -- who is his currently his team's top scorer at the tournament with three goals -- even counts Thailand coach Anthony Hudson as a previous mentor from their time together at BG Pathum United.
On Saturday and again in Tuesday's return encounter at Bangkok's Rajamangala Stadium, the pleasantries will be put to one side with a spot in the final up for grabs, putting a temporary halt to the positive sentiments that have been shared thus far at the tournament.
"It's interesting because he's a very good player and a very talented player," Hudson said about Ilhan, in Friday's prematch news conference.
"You can see he's very passionate when it comes to playing for his national team.
"It's funny because I've been messaging him throughout the tournament, sending him jokes.
"He's a great guy but, for 90 minutes tomorrow, I don't think we'll be friends. I'll be friends with him again after the final whistle."
The praise was returned by Ilhan, who -- with a massive grin on his face -- said: "Coach Anthony is an amazing guy. We have a really good relationship on and off the pitch.
"At BG, I got my joy of playing football back under him. He understands me very well.
"He's been very annoying on Instagram! Always texting me, but in a good way. He's seen how far Singapore have come. He's always following up on me and [older brother] Ikhsan [Fandi].
"For me, tomorrow is going to be a big game. I'll have to focus on myself and the team but it'll be nice to go up against coach Anthony. I have so much respect for him and Thailand."
While the individual threat that Ilhan poses is irrefutable, Hudson believes Singapore's strongest quality is their work as a team.
"When I look at Singapore, they're a well-organised team," added Hudson. "I think [Singapore coach] Gavin [Lee] has done a really good job.
"There's a clear tactical idea when they play. As a team, we respect them. Obviously we played them [in a friendly last] November, and we've got an understanding that this is a different Singapore team now.
"I think they've improved a lot over the Asian Cup [qualification] campaign. We're very familiar with a lot of their players. They're a team that gives everything. They're a proud team."
As the only team to have won all four of their group-stage matches, and yet to concede a goal, Thailand have thus far lived up to their status as the tournament's record seven-time champions.
Nonetheless, expectations surrounding their title chances have been somewhat tempered by the fact they have not been able to field their strongest squad -- a point that Hudson candidly acknowledged.
And yet, what might initially have seemed a selection headache and a potential lack of squad depth have turned into a blessing in disguise, with Hudson delighted with how some of his less-heralded players have risen to the occasion.
"I think it's the players," Hudson replied, when asked what he feels has been his team's biggest strength.
"We know, probably for most teams, it's been very difficult to put a squad together. But we got very fortunate in putting together a squad that, since day one, have just worked incredibly hard.
"We've been lucky to be able to rotate the squad and protect the five players that were on yellow cards. As a coach, I feel very fortunate to have a group that has stepped up when they needed to.
"I've been so impressed with a lot of players that I haven't really been too familiar with. Since the camp, they've impressed me so much.
"We've got a mix of youth and experience and everyone's really come together as a team. Now we're in a place, after a few weeks, where -- more and more -- we're understanding how we want to approach games.
"Bottom line, the results and clean sheets have been down to the players."