Buriram: Both Buriram United and Kuala Lumpur City FC have their fate in their own hands as they face each other in their final Group B fixture of the inaugural ASEAN Club Championship Shopee Cup™ on Thursday.
Buriram United are in second place with seven points and a draw could take them through to the semi-finals. But they will look to take no chances and get the three points that will see them through even if fourth-placed Borneo FC Samarinda, on six points, defeat Công An Hà Nội FC in the simultaneous kick-off.
For Kuala Lumpur, meanwhile, it is a must-win encounter with only a win capable of sending the Malaysian side, who are currently on six points, through to the next stage from the group along with Vietnam’s Công An.
Thai League 1 champions Buriram had a poor start to their Shopee Cup campaign as they lost to eventual group winners Công An in Hanoi back in August but bounced back strongly with a 7-0 win against Kaya FC-Iloilo – the biggest win the tournament has seen till date.
Buriram, managed by Osmar Loss, also posted a commanding win over Borneo in their third outing but a goalless draw against Lion City Sailors FC last time out has them going into the final matchday with their place in the last four still not guaranteed.
They did not have the best of preparation for this crunch clash with them suffering only their second defeat in the Thai top flight this season to Port FC on Sunday but with the likes of Guilherme Bissoli and Supachai Jaided in their ranks, they will hope they have enough in them to get past the finish line.
Meanwhile, it’s a do-or-die situation for Kuala Lumpur who were beaten 3-2 by Công An in their last game despite the Malaysians leading 2-1 up until the 67th minute, with Le Van Do inflicting a late defeat on the hosts in second half stoppage time.
Adding to Miroslav Kuljanac’s concerns, Kuala Lumpur will be without their captain Paulo Josue and starting full-back Kamal Azizi for the pivotal clash after the duo were shown red cards in the defeat to the V.League 1 side last month.
However, they will turn to the likes of Jovan Motika, Haqimi Azim and Brendan Gan to rise up to the occasion and get a victory against the Thais that will keep them in contention for the first-ever Shopee Cup title.
Buriram United vs Kuala Lumpur City FC
Venue: Buriram Stadium, Buriram
Kick-off: 6 February, 7:30PM (Local Time)
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