Preview: Buriram Utd Hosts Shanghai Shenhua in AFC Champions League Clash

BANGKOK (Interstat) — Thai powerhouse Buriram United will look to capitalize on strong domestic form when it hosts China’s Shanghai Shenhua in an AFC Champions League group stage match on Tuesday.

The contest at Buriram’s Thunder Castle Stadium pits a confident home side against a visiting squad seeking to reverse a disappointing continental campaign.

Buriram enters the match on a high note, having secured a 3-1 away victory over BG Pathum United in Thai League 1 play last Saturday. That result extended a run of generally positive form, with the team winning four of its last five domestic fixtures. Their most recent Asian outing was a 2-2 draw with South Korea’s Gangwon FC on Dec. 9.

Shanghai Shenhua, meanwhile, has struggled in this season’s Champions League. The Chinese Super League side is coming off a 1-0 away loss to Japan’s Sanfrecce Hiroshima on Dec. 10. That defeat was part of a winless streak in the competition, with previous group results including a 2-0 home loss to Vissel Kobe and a 3-1 defeat at Johor Darul Ta’zim.

The statistical service Interstat projects a 2-0 victory for Buriram United in Tuesday’s match.

Buriram’s schedule shows a heavy focus on domestic duties following this clash. The club’s next 10 matches are all in the Thai League, beginning with a home fixture against Khon Kaen United on Feb. 25.

For Shanghai Shenhua, this match represents a final chance to salvage pride in a continental campaign that has yielded just one win from its five group matches so far. The team’s lone Champions League victory this season was a 2-0 home win over FC Seoul on Oct. 22.

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. local time at Chang Arena in Buriram.