Muang Thong, Buriram face daunting start

Muang Thong United coach Slavisa Jokanovic shakes hands with Fabio Lefundes, Jeonbuk Hyundai manager, at the pre-match press conference yesterday.

Muang Thong United and Buriram United embark on their Asian Champions League campaigns with tricky matches today against Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors and Vegalti Sendai, respectively.

Muang Thong automatically qualified for the continental club competition by winning their third league title in four years last season, while FA Cup winners Buriram made it through by beating Australia's Brisbane Roar on penalties in the play-off.

Buriram have been slotted into Group E alongside South Korea's FC Seoul, Chinese outfit Jiangsu Sainty and the J-League runners-up, who they face in the opener at Sendai stadium. The Thai club's build-up to the fixture has been overshadowed by the match-fixing scandal surrounding their Cup victory over Army United in November. However, Buriram coach Atthaphol Puspakom insists his players are fully focused on a match that will be a difficult test for his men.

"It's tough game for us, for sure. They are a very strong side. We also have to contend with the conditions here, which are pretty cold. Our players may have trouble adjusting themselves to the weather. We'll try to get something from the tricky trip," said Atthaphol, whose side finished bottom of their group in their debut campaign last year.

Meanwhile, still reeling from their bitter defeat to Buriram in Saturday's King's Trophy match, the traditional curtain-raiser for the season, Muang Thong promised their fans a much improved performance when they hosted the South Koreans.

"This is a very important game for us. We are playing on the biggest stage in the continent.

"I'm aware we are not seen as favourites in the group but we'll try to outplay Jeonbuk. Everyone needs to have maximum focus on the match," said Muang Thong's Serbian coach Slavisa Jokanovic.

"It's a difficult task for us but we hope to make our fans proud in this tournament."

Midfielder Datsakorn Thonglao echoed his coach's sentiments.

"We need to look ahead and forget what happened on Saturday. The fans' support is crucial for us when we play at this level. We'll give 100-per-cent," said Datsakorn.

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Article source: http://www.thethailandlinks.com/2013/02/26/muang-thong-buriram-face-daunting-start/