Buriram United vs Phrae United

Chang Arena forms the backdrop for a lopsided Thai FA Cup quarter-final tie between top-flight heavyweights Buriram United and second-tier minnows Phrae United.

Buriram United’s 2022/23 Thai FA Cup campaign was off to a flying start with back-to-back multi-goal margin wins over Samut Prakan City and Nakhon Pathom United. However, the reigning Thai champions had to survive a 2-1 extra-time drama against second-tier Uthan Thani in the last round to set up this quarter-final tie. Odds-on favorites to progress into the next stage, the ‘Thunder Castle’ can draw confidence from winning nine consecutive home outings in all competitions, six of which via multi-goal margins. Moreover, their last three home victories in the lead-up to this clash have come ‘to nil,’ underlining Buriram’s newly-discovered defensive resilience. It stretches beyond the Chang Arena pitch, with Masatada Ishii’s side winning three straight matches without a replay to set themselves up nicely for this fixture.

On the other hand, visiting Phrae United pulled off a come-from-behind 3-2 win over Khonkaen United in the inaugural Thai FA Cup outing before a 2-1 extra-time triumph over Prime Bangkok in their most recent cup game. That result forms part of Phrae’s decent-looking run of one defeat in their last nine matches (W3, D5), suggesting the visitors could be forgiven for lining up an upset against their esteemed hosts. To quickly douse the optimism in the visiting camp, the ‘Horsemen’ have conceded multiple goals in their last two competitive games (D1, L1), including a 3-0 halftime deficit at fellow second-tier rivals Krabi on their most recent domestic travel.