Unbeaten Thai League 1 leaders Buriram United continue their chase for a treble today when they host second-tier side Phrae United in the FA Cup quarter-finals.
Buriram hold a 12-point lead in the league and have reached the semi-finals of the League Cup.
They will be heavy favourites to advance to the FA Cup semi-finals when they entertain Phrae at their Chang Arena.
“We have many matches to play and tomorrow [today] we will play in the FA Cup,” Buriram coach Masatada Ishii said yesterday. “We are the defending champions and we are looking forward to this match. Although Phrae United are from Thai League 2, we cannot underestimate them. This is a knockout tournament, so we can’t make a mistake and have to do our best to qualify for the next round.”
The other three matches — Bangkok United v Nakhon Ratchasima, BG Pathum United v Police Tero and Port v Chiang Rai United — are all encounters of top-flight clubs.
Port, who are having a disappointing campaign in Thai League 1, are aiming to win the FA Cup to salvage their season.
Fresh from beating Bangkok United in the league at the weekend, Port are seen as slight favourites against Chiang Rai United. “This will be another difficult game for our team. We will have to check the fitness of our players and may rotate the team. We hope to get a good result from this game,” said Port coach Surapong Kongthep.
In this round, if a match ends in a draw after 90 minutes, the teams will have to play 30 minutes of extra time. A penalty shoot-out will determine the winners if a match fails to produce a win after extra time.
The champions will receive five million baht in prize money and a place in the AFC Champions League. The runners-up get one million baht.