Singapore, November 7: Buriram United FC striker Supachai Chaided believes the reigning ASEAN Club Championship Shopee Cup™ champions can successfully defend their title despite making a slow start to the current campaign.
The Thai League 1 side, who defeated Công An Hà Nội FC in a blockbuster final in May to win the inaugural event, have drawn both of their opening matches in the 2025/26 season to sit outside the qualification berths for the knockout phase with three rounds remaining.
But the 26-year-old forward is refusing to panic in the lead-up to his side’s eagerly anticipated rematch with the Mano Pölking-coached Vietnamese outfit when the Group Stage of the championship resumes on December 3.
"I still have confidence in the team,” Supachai says. “I trust my teammates, and I also believe in myself. We are focused on securing victories in every remaining match of the Shopee Cup™. I’m one hundred percent confident because we have to defend our title."
Buriram United’s victory in the Shopee Cup™ was part of an unprecedented quadruple as the club also claimed the Thai League 1, Thai FA Cup and Thai League Cup titles in a remarkable season.
Supachai was a key component in his side’s astonishing success, even if he fell short of the goalscoring totals he had achieved in previous campaigns.
The centre forward had been top scorer in the Thai League 1 in both the 2022/23 and 2023/24 campaigns and claimed 17 goals in all competitions in the 2024/25 season, including netting twice in nine matches in the Shopee Cup™.
The campaign climaxed with a penalty shoot-out win over Công An Hà Nội after a drama-filled two-legged final ended in a 5-5 aggregate draw before Buriram United claimed the trophy at a raucous Buriram Stadium.
“It was an incredible feeling because we were playing at home in front of our fans,” Supachai says of that victory.
“The pressure was on us since we were trailing in the match, but we managed to come back and equalise in the final minutes and then went on to win in the penalty shootout.
“Last year, we were strong, and everyone believed in making history together — the coaches, the players, everyone united on the field, including the tactics.
“The backroom staff was also vital because we compete in multiple tournaments, and they ensure that every player can recover properly and be ready to play.”
Buriram United have since undergone a major overhaul of both playing and coaching staff amid attempts to build on the achievements of the previous season.
Quadruple-winning coach Osmar Loss has been replaced by Englishman Mark Jackson, who led Australia’s Central Coast Mariners FC to the 2024 AFC Cup title, while players such as Lucas Crispim, Dion Cools and Martin Boakye have moved on.
Despite the churn, Buriram United have set their sights on making a major impression in the Shopee Cup™ and the AFC Champions League Elite after reaching the quarter-finals of the continental championship last season.
“We need to maintain the standards we set last year, and this year we aim to return to the AFC Champions League Elite,” says Supachai. “We want to build on last year’s achievements, and the changes in the club should help us accomplish even better things this year.
"The club probably sees that we can develop the team better than last year. Of course, there have been changes, and we need to see the feedback. whether the new players coming in can help raise the level of the team and contribute to improving it even further.
"With every change, everyone has to learn, of course. But the important thing is that both the new players and the existing ones stay open-minded, try to learn, and work on improving the team so that we can be better than last year."
Supachai’s focus, meanwhile, will be on returning to his predatory best with the Thailand international netting as recently as Tuesday in his side’s 2-0 win over Chinese Super League leaders Shanghai Port in the AFC Champions League Elite.
"Last year I scored fewer goals than the previous season,” he says. “It’s really about maintaining my own standards over the past couple of years, trying to keep consistent performance.
“I aim to keep up my standards and contribute goals to help the club achieve success."
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