BURIRAM, Thailand: Buriram United FC will go into the second leg of their 2025/26 Asean Club Championship Shopee Cup final clash against Selangor FC with head coach Mark Jackson declaring his side will be fully energised after a rare weekend off in the lead-up to the meeting at Buriram Stadium.
The defending champions hold a 1-0 lead from the first leg at MBPJ Stadium last week and go into the meeting on Wednesday refreshed due to their earlier elimination from the Thai League Cup.
“I’ve had to remember how to work a week in advance really, I’d forgot about that,” the Englishman said with a smile. “That’s been great for us from a recovery point of view, how we can review the game and how we can feed that back to the players.
“That’s given us a real opportunity to really feel like we’re not only physically and mentally prepared for this game but tactically as well.”
Buriram United will go into the match close to full strength with Guilherme Bissoli, the club’s leading scorer in the tournament with six goals, available for selection after missing the first leg due to suspension.
Midfielder Goran Čaušić, however, is out as he serves the second of his two-match ban following his sending off in the dramatic second leg of the semi-final win over Johor Darul Ta’zim FC.
“We’re always confident of our ability, that’s something we try and put into our players,” said Jackson.
“We’re confident playing at our home ground, but we don’t underestimate this game. If you do that it would be very foolish, so we’ve had a good week to recover the players and work the players as well with how we want to approach this game.
“We feel full of energy, full of confidence. The players have shown that, particularly in the last two days in training. So I’m very happy.
“Bissoli is back in training, so that’s a big boost for us. A player of that quality, a player that can score goals at the level he does. Everybody else in the squad is fit. So I have problems as a coach.”
Selangor will be without Jordan internationals Mohammad Abualnadi and Noor Al-Rawabdeh after the pair travelled to begin preparations for the FIFA World Cup but, after a close first leg, Jackson is not underestimating the challenge his side face.
“We have a good idea what we’re going to face tomorrow,” he said. “Every team can adapt and work on different things and different tactics so we have to be mindful of that.
“For us, it’s a real opportunity to play at our home in a final and to play our game. That’s what we’ve been focused on and working on this week and we’re ready for the game.”
