Buriram United and Si Sa Ket will battle it out in tonight’s League Cup final, which pits together two north-eastern sides from different hemispheres of the Thai Premier League.
Buriram captain Suchao Nutnum, right, vies with Si Sa Ket's Adefolarin Durosinmi in a TPL match.
The match will be played at Supachalasai Stadium and will kick off at 7pm.
In the ‘Isan Derby’, as the final is being dubbed, TPL leaders Buriram go up against Si Sa Ket, who are in the 12th place in the 18-team league.
Buriram have been the most dominant team in the tournament, having reached the final every year and capturing the title three times since it was restructured and renamed the Toyota League Cup in 2010.
The other two winners were Port in 2010 and BEC Tero Sasana last year.
Buriram United manager Tatthep Pitakpoolsin said yesterday: “This is an important match for our team and it doesn’t matter who we are facing in the final.
“To have Si Sa Ket in the League Cup final is good for Thai football because it is a break-away from traditional match-ups between the giants.
“It is never easy to face Si Sa Ket but our team have a lot of experience in playing final matches.
“We are in no way underestimating Si Sa Ket but we are confident of winning the Cup.”
Buriram will be captained by midfielder Suchao Nutnum but will be without their two in-form Brazilian strikers — Diogo Luis Santo, who is serving a red-card ban, and Gilberto Macena, whose name was not entered by the team at the beginning of the tournament.
“Although both Diogo and Macena cannot play in the final, we have players who can fill in for their absence. It shouldn’t make a major difference,” Tatthep said.
“We must win the trophy to make up for the disappointment of losing [2-0] to BEC Tero Sasana in the final last year.”
Si Sa Ket chairman Thanet Kruerat said: “We are also confident that we can win the trophy.
“Anything can happen in football especially in a one-off match like this final. It does not matter who has won the event how many times. It is the 11 players on the pitch who matter.
“We are now ready and looking forward to the match. We will not let Buriram have an easy game though they are the favourites. They have lost to Si Sa Ket in the TPL before and I am sure we can do it again.”
Si Sa Ket coach Chalermwut Sa-ngarpol said: “Buriram will play without Diogo but they are still a strong team. Diogo is the heart of their attack but they have many good and strong players who can replace him. We cannot afford a lapse in concentration throughout the final.”
Si Sa Ket’s strike force will be led by Nigeria’s Adefolarin Durosinmi.
The winners of the League Cup will receive five million baht plus the chance to play in the Toyota Mekong Cup final on Dec 20 and in a Toyota Premier Cup game against Japanese team Albirex Niigata on Feb 13. The runners-up will get one million baht.
Buriram won the Cup three times in a row (2011-2013) and were the runners-up on the other two occasions. Si Sa Ket FC have reached the final of a major tournament for the first time.
Buriram beat the Koupreys twice in the TPL this season.