Realistic: Giancarlo Gallifuoco says Kuala Lumpur will have to be perfect if they want to beat Buriram United. — Kuala Lumpur City FC
PETALING JAYA: Buriram United are the best in Thailand for a reason.
Since moving to Buriram from Ayutthaya in 2010, the club have won 10 Thai League One titles, and five domestic trebles, become the third most popular football club in Thailand behind Premier League giants Manchester United and Liverpool, and boast some of the best football facilities in South-East Asia.
That is the magnitude of the side that Kuala Lumpur will face in their final Group B game of the Asean Club Championships (ACC) at the Chang Arena in Buriram today, but the City boys will go in with the hopes of causing a surprise.
Buriram just need a draw, while Kuala Lumpur have to get a win to qualify for the semi-final.
It is a David versus Goliath battle, and KL’s centreback Giancarlo Gallifuoco is hoping they can pull off a miracle.
“Before any game starts, I always think about what is the story going to be and what fate has in store for us,” said the 31-year-old Australian, who could captain the team in the absence of Paulo Josue, who is suspended.
“I have been so lucky to be here for five years and many times be on the side where we came in as the underdogs and somehow pulled off a miracle.
“Big games do not scare me, but they entice me. But that doesn’t mean I am unrealistic because this is going to be a huge game where we have to be perfect and they have to be poor if we want that chance.
“We will play the KL City way. We will make their life a living hell. We will try as hard as possible to frustrate them and make it hard for them to break us down. That is the way to counter individual brilliance. It has to be 11 vs 11, not 1 vs 1.”
Kuala Lumpur will enter the game with injuries and suspensions to key men, with Brendan Gan still nursing a calf injury, while Josue and rightback Kamal Azizi suspended after receiving red cards in their previous group game against Cong An Hanoi, where they lost 2-3.
“We are a depleted squad, that is not defeatist, that is just logical. But we have been weakened squads before and we have done incredible things with those squads. Buriram have better players and, a better team, I have no problem in saying that. We are a small club with a small budget.
“I always make a comparison with us. Similar to the Spartans against the Persians. We are few against many, we are small against a powerful club.
“We have unity, and discipline to be together and we have a family so tight-knit. We have a family that is close even with our fanbase.
“We almost know all the fans individually by name. It is beautiful, some even have travelled here. That is incredible. That is fans travelling to a game where the odds are so stacked against us, just to support us. That is the supporters we have.
“We are 24 hours from a game that could be the talk of the year if we win it. Regardless, our management and fanbase would be proud of us. I would absolutely love to have another great memory.”
