Buriram battle Glass for King's Trophy

Buriram battle Glass for King's Trophy

Thai Premier League champions and FA Cup winners both bolstered squads by several new signings in close season

Thai Premier League champions Buriram United will meet FA Cup holders Bangkok Glass in the King's Trophy match at Suphachalasai Stadium today.

Buriram United celebrate winning the Thai Premier League.

Both have made changes to their squads since winning the titles.

Buriram have released several players including Carmelo Gonzalez and Prathum Chuthong, who are now at Suphanburi, and Javier Patino, who has moved to the Chinese Super League.

The Thunder Castle have brought in several new players including Prakit Deeprom and Naruebodin Weerawatnodom.

Bangkok Glass, who beat Chonburi 1-0 in the FA Cup final, have signed former Australia defender Matt Smith and Brazilian forward Leandro Oliveira.

The Glass Rabbits have released Flavien Michelini, Puritat Jarikanon and Amnaj Kaewkew.

Last year, Buriram won the TPL with 79 points — 30 ahead of mid-table Bangkok Glass. However, the Rabbits beat Buriram 3-0 at their Leo Stadium.

Buriram chairman Newin Chidchob said his players were not yet at full strength.

"New players need time to gel with teammates," he said. "Our fitness levels are at about 70 percent but we will try our best to win the King's Trophy."

Bangkok Glass deputy chairman Supasin Leelarit said his players were ready for today's match.

"Fitness is our strong point. Our core players remain the same. With the arrival of Oliveira, we should be stronger,'' he said.

"We must not make mistakes against a strong side like Buriram. They are holders of the trophy but we hope to win it."

Meanwhile, tickets for the 43rd King's Cup tournament are on sale at Thai Ticket Major at 200, 300 and 400 baht.

The four-team event will be held in Nakhon Ratchasima from Feb 1-7 with Thailand facing South Korea, Honduras and Uzbekistan.

After a round-robin competition, the team with the highest points will lift the King's Cup.

South Korea will use their U23 side and Honduras their U20 team. It is still unclear which team from Uzbekistan will take part in the event after their full national side lost in the quarter-finals at the Asian Cup on Thursday.

Meanwhile, Chinese billionaire Wang Jianlin has bought a 20 percent stake in Spanish league champions Atletico Madrid to become the first mainland Chinese investment in a top European football club.

The deal was worth €45 million, the real estate tycoon's Wanda Group said in a statement.

It will provide "all-round support for the development of Chinese football", the statement said, adding that both sides will spend €30 million on a youth training centre in Madrid to foster young talent, including players from China.

Wang, who is No.42 on Forbes' rich list, is a diehard football fan and Wanda became a household name across China after Wang bought a Dalian football club in 1994, renamed it after the firm and transformed it into the strongest team in China.

Bangkok Glass lift the FA Cup after beating Chonburi in the final.

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