Brazilian coach hopes CAHN can defeat the best team in Southeast Asia

Coach Mano Polking expressed strong confidence ahead of CAHN's match against Buriram United in the third round of the Shopee Cup.

In the third round of Group A in the Shopee Cup, CAHN will visit Buriram United’s home ground, the current champions of the tournament. At present, both CAHN and Buriram United are struggling to secure one of the two semifinal spots, currently ranking 4th and 5th respectively. Therefore, the upcoming clash will be crucial in deciding the chances for both teams to advance beyond the group stage.

During the pre-match press conference, Coach Mano Polking personally confirmed this, stating that CAHN aims for a victory to avoid a difficult situation.

Specifically, the Brazilian strategist shared: "What makes this match special is that both teams know very well that after 90 minutes, one side will be in a highly disadvantageous position. We just hope it won’t be us, especially since Buriram is also going through a rough start. With only two spots to advance, clearly no team can afford to slip up or accept defeat."

Agreeing with Polking's view, goalkeeper Nguyễn Filip also set the goal of winning. The 1992-born star affirmed: "CAHN's objective is to secure 3 points to keep control of our destiny."

This encounter is even more notable because just a few months ago, the two teams delivered one of the most thrilling matches in the tournament. They drew 5-5 after two legs in the first season final, before Buriram won the championship on penalties. Thus, the rematch halfway through the group stage carries significant weight both in terms of points and psychology.

Buriram United is under great pressure, having yet to secure a win in this season’s Shopee Cup. Two draws against Selangor FC and BG Pathum United FC have earned them only two points. Their domestic form is also not promising: they started with a loss to BG Pathum United and narrowly defeated DH Cebu FC with a late goal.

Meanwhile, CAHN has shown several weaknesses on the continental stage. The police-affiliated team suffered an unexpected loss to Pathum United in their opener but regained confidence with a win over DH Cebu FC.

With a strong determination to claim all three points, Buriram United and CAHN are expected to deliver an exciting match that could partly replicate last season’s Shopee Cup final, ultimately deciding who advances from the group.

The match between Buriram United and CAHN will take place at 7:00 PM tonight (December 3rd).

Related articles

Chinese team coach deeply disappointed after losing to CAHN Coach Ramiro Amarelle could not hide his disappointment when Beijing Guan lost to CAHN and was officially eliminated. See more