Singapore, 28 March 2025: Buriram United FC head coach Osmar Loss believes his squad have been revitalised by the international break and will go into the first leg of their ASEAN Club Championship Shopee Cup™ semi-final against Thai rivals BG Pathum United FC on 2 April ready to push for a place in the final.
Buriram United have been juggling a packed schedule due to their involvement in the latter stages of a series of domestic, regional and continental level events, meaning the two-week pause in the club calendar has allowed the Brazilian and his squad some time to recalibrate.
“We’re playing in five competitions but for me, I am Brazilian, and we play every three days, so I’m used to this situation,” says Loss. “It’s not crazy. I can handle it really well.
“The president (Newin Chidchob) has hired a good squad, and we can manage the time, and we can make good rotations to make the players happy all the time.
“In this moment we have some injured players, but hopefully by 2 April they will all be ready and they can make the best moment for us. This break has been really important for us, so we can remember some patterns that the team can use in the games.
“Because when we have too many games and a tight schedule, like we’ve had in the past days, it means the players only remember the strategy for a specific game. Now we’ve had time to work on some things we haven’t worked on for a lot of time.”
Buriram United will face fellow Thai League 1 side BG Pathum United over two legs in the semi-finals of the Shopee Cup™, with Loss’ side hosting the opening clash before the return in Pathum Thani on 7 May.
The teams have already met twice in domestic competition in the current campaign, with Buriram United winning both games. A 2-0 win in Thai League 1 in Pathum Thani in December was followed by a 3-1 victory in the Thai League Cup in February, soon after the arrival of new BG Pathum United coach Anthony Hudson.
“We played well against them in both games,” says Loss. “We beat them two times, but we know now it’s a different competition and they’ve changed the coach and the way they play.
“Raniel, the forward, is in an amazing moment. I think it will be hard, it’s a semi-final. But it will be great for Thailand for our two teams to play in this semi-final.”
Buriram United reached the last four despite making a disappointing start to their Shopee Cup™ campaign, losing 1-0 in their opening group game against Công An Hà Nội FC in Vietnam last August.
The Mano Polking-coached side have also advanced to the knockout rounds, where they will face Indonesia’s PSM Makassar, presenting the possibility of a rematch between the pair in the final, which will be played over two legs on 14 and 21 May.
While Loss is relishing the prospect of taking on the V.League 1 side again, he is not motivated by revenge.
“As a team, we have improved a lot,” he says. “We have had a lot of big challenges, with the AFC Champions League Elite and many derbies in the Thai league and now we’re much better than at that time.
“We hope we can move to the final and maybe we can meet Công An Hà Nội again. I think in football we cannot think about revenge. It’s different moments. I normally don’t think in this way. To be in the final will be great, it doesn’t matter the opponent.”
SHOPEE CUP™ SEMI-FINAL SCHEDULE
The Shopee Cup™ semi-final matches will be broadcast LIVE on domestic television networks, find out where to watch here.
Match tickets are available on sale at each home club’s stadium box office and online.
The Shopee Cup™ is the first edition of the regional club competition, which brings together the leading clubs from across Southeast Asia.
For more information about the Shopee Cup™, please visit https://aseanutdfc.com/ and @aseanutdfc on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube and X.
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