Buriram United must beat Japan’s Cerezo Osaka today to keep alive their slim hopes of advancing in the AFC Champions League.
Buriram coach Alejandro Menendez.
Buriram have only one point after three games in Group E while Osaka have four with China’s Shandong Luneng and South Korea’s Pohang Steelers each on five.
The top two teams of each group qualify for the knockout stages.
Buriram coach Alejandro Menendez admitted that his men had their backs against the wall after losing 4-0 in Osaka in their previous match.
“We have nothing to lose,” the Spaniard told yesterday’s press conference.
“We have only one option — win the match. We hope the hot weather will help us. We must play to our best if we want to qualify for the next round.”
Buriram captain Suchao Nutnum said: “We are looking forward to the match. We hope our fans will spur us to a win.”
Osaka coach Ranko Popovic said his men were well-prepared for the hot weather.
“It will be a challenging match for our team. The weather will not be an excuse if we lose,” he said. “We are confident that we will win.”
Cerezo are led by Uruguay striker Diego Forlan who scored against Buriram two weeks ago.
In today’s other Group E match, Shandong host Pohang.
