November 28, 2023

Again, this is gonna be a short one – I just flew into Bangkok a few hours earlier and I really should be sleeping to prepare for a full day of activity tomorrow. But here are some of my quick thoughts! High Stakes I hate to be dramatic, but this is really do-or-die for the Sailors. In my preview for the last time we faced Bangkok United, I stressed that we had to beat Bangkok United. Please see the excerpt below. I referred to Jeonbuk as the apex predator and perhaps that hasn’t really been 100% right. They’ve lost unexpectedly to us at Jalan Besar Stadium, and also Bangkok United at Thamassat Stadium. In both those games, they have looked very ordinary. However, I am still backing them to get a win vs Kitchee in the other fixture of the day, and then 3 points again at Jeonju Castle, when Bangkok United make the trip to Korea. As such, there really is no room for a loss later tonight. If we get a draw (which is already a creditable result), then we’d be on 7 points, and can potentially reach a maximum of 10 points. A draw would leave Bangkok on 11 points, which puts them out of our reach, regardless of the result against Kitchee in December. Should Jeonbuk then beat Kitchee and Bangkok United, they will finish on 12 points, leaving us in 3rd place with no chance of qualification. Ideally, we want to win in Bangkok, go to 9 points, and then hope that Jeonbuk beats Bangkok United as well in their last game, which would result in both us and Jeonbuk finishing with 12 points. That would most likely lead us to finish in 2nd place, but 12 points seems pretty safe for us to qualify as one of the top-ranked second-placed teams. If we’re looking at Bangkok Utd as our last chance of getting a win, you can be sure that our opponents think the same. A win here wraps things up for them – they will not wanna risk it in Jeonju Castle. All that just to say – you can expect some spice from this game in the land that gave us Tom Yam. The Previous Game Many who watched the previous game, and seldom watch the Thai League or stay in touch with it, say that in our previous meeting, both teams actually were super evenly-matched. If you would cast your mind back to that game, you’d remember they struggled to create clear chances, and it was sloppy marking from a corner, and then a long shot from Thitiphan that eventuall turned a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 away victory, Well….the corner was put away by Everton, their talismanic captain. The bad news is that he is still available, will likely start, and just this previous weekend, he rose highest to win another header from a corner kick. This time it hit the post and stayed out. Our boys will have to really ensure that all our setpieces are properly defended. There is very little room for error. So that was the bad news – the good news is that due to a long-term injury, Thitiphan is injured. He is a major part of their midfield, and his presence may be felt. If you’ve been following Bangkok Utd’s results, you will see that without Phitiphan, they do not reach the same standards they usually do. Absences Speaking of Thitiphan’s injury, we have our own absences to deal with as well. Bailey Wright travelled with the squad, but given that he received zero gametime at the weekend against Hougang, I’d be shocked if he plays any part in tonight’s game. More importantly, Super is out suspended. It will of course be a blow considering his stellar form this campaign in the ACL. He is also one of those players, like Rui Pires, who is super well-rested because he did not play in the international break, and was ineligible for the Singapore Cup games. However, we will have to make do without him. It is a position where perhaps you could argue that we are well-covered anyway, having seen the return to action of Pedro Henrique. We could well line up with Pedro, Hariss and Lionel as the three centre-backs going up against Bangkok Utd. Hariss being dropped into the defence to add solidity might mean that Diego Lopes comes back into the fold after injury, and helps to wreak havoc in the Bangkok United backline. Notably, Diego did not play in our impressive 2-0 win over Jeonbuk. Unbeaten Thus Far Here’s an amazing stat that you may already know. Bangkok United is unbeaten in all competitions this season – yep that includes the ACL. They sit on top of the Thai league, and have a game in hand against BG Pathum United. They are also 6 points ahead of last season’s champions, Buriram. This is not gonna be an easy task for our Sailors – but I am sure if you asked pre-tournament if we wanted to be in a position after Gameweek 4 of the ACL where we could still qualify, I am sure most fans would bite your hand off and take that offer. Conclusion Yep, this was really short and I apologise for not being able to do more analysis for this piece. The game is too close to call. I genuinely think that ability-wise, our players do not have the edge. However, never say never. If we could choose between going to Jeonbuk away or going to BGPU away to clinch a result needed to go for the quarter-finals, I am sure most of us would plump for Bangkok United. Now that the chance has presented itself – let’s grasp it tightly and get that win. COME ON YOU BOYS IN BLUE Score Prediction Joseph and I predict the scores and track our success in a table. Stay tuned to find out who is the prediction king! 3