Buriram Confident Of Sinking JDT In ACL Elite Last-16 Second Leg Showdown
KUALA LUMPUR, March 5 (Bernama) -- Thailand’s Buriram United are aiming for victory against Malaysian Super League champions Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) in the second leg of the 2024/25 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League Elite (ACL Elite) Round of 16 match in Johor, next Tuesday.
The match at the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium, Iskandar Puteri, will determine which team advances to the quarter-finals in Saudi Arabia next month.
Buriram Head Coach Osmar Loss acknowledged that every match against JDT presents different challenges but stressed that his team have a week to prepare for an upset against the Southern Tigers on their home ground.
“Every game we play is different. In the first match of the league stage, Buriram United received a red card at the end of the first half. But today (last night) , it was a different game as both teams played with 11 players for the full 90 minutes.
“We have one week to prepare the team before going to Johor. We hope to get the victory there. After today (last night), I believe our players have more confidence. Visiting Malaysia for the second leg, I believe we can advance to the next round,” he was quoted as saying on www.the-afc.com.
Loss made these remarks after watching his team play out a goalless draw against JDT in the first leg of the Round of 16 at Buriram Stadium last night.
Commenting on the match, he said his players were unfortunate not to secure a win despite dominating play and creating more scoring opportunities than JDT.
He added that JDT’s disciplined defensive display throughout the 90 minutes also influenced the outcome.
"In this game, I have to say that everything we did was perfect. Our overall performance was very good. We created plenty of chances but were unlucky not to score. Moreover, our opponents defended really well, and that makes a difference in football," he said.
This is the second meeting between JDT and Buriram in this season’s ACL Elite, following their goalless draw in the league stage at the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium last December.
-- BERNAMA
