Indonesia is looking to bounce back from its disappointing Myanmar trip at the AFF Suzuki Cup soccer championship next week.

Myanmar defeated Indonesia 2-1 in the final of the Grand Royal Challenge Cup in Yangoon last week but Indonesian coach Benny Dollo appeared confident about tackling the next challenge.

He said the failure to win the tournament had motivated the team to perform better in the AFF Cup, co-hosted by Indonesia and Thailand.

"If we could show something during the last game against Myanmar, why won't we now?" Benny said in a phone interview with The Jakarta Post from the sidelines of a team training session in Sawangan, Bogor, West Java.

"We will apply a 4-4-2 combination as usual, but I have told the players to improvise on the field as a counterattack to any aggressive play," said Benny, whose team was beaten twice by Myanmar -- in the group and final matches -- in Yangoon.

AFF Suzuki Cup, formerly known as the Tiger Cup, is the biennial soccer championship among the Southeast Asian soccer associations in the Asian Football Federation (AFF).

The competition, which offers US$180,000 in prize money, features eight teams split in two groups.

Indonesia has a chance to avenge its latest defeats against Myanmar as both teams are in Group A along with Cambodia and defending champion Singapore.

Group B comprises Malaysia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam.

Laos and Cambodia won their places in the main round after finishing in the top two at the qualifying round held Oct. 17-25.

Thailand and Singapore are the only two teams to have won the trophy.

Singapore battled against the odds to snatch the trophy during the inaugural tournament in 1998 before adding two more in 2004 and 2006. Thailand triumphed in 1996, 2000 and 2002.

Benny said Singapore and Myanmar would make Indonesia struggle. "Those teams will pose a tough challenge for us."

The group matches will run from Dec. 5 to 10. The Group A matches in Indonesia will be held at Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta and Si Jalak Harupat Stadium in Bandung. Rajamangala Stadium in Bangkok will host Group B.

The tournament will switch to a home-and-away format for the semifinal matches played over two stages on Dec. 16 and 21 with the finals on Dec. 24 and 28.

Chief of the Indonesia organizing committee Joko Driyono said during a media press conference on Wednesday that Bung Karno stadium and Si Jalak Harupat would be ready for the event.

"We have put the power supply, security personnel and supporters' safety at the top of the list for preparations for the event," Joko said.

Some 3,000 security personnel will be deployed during the event, he added.

The organizers plan to release 80,000 tickets, with prices ranging from Rp 35,000 to Rp 50,000.

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