THAILAND LIFE AND CULTURE
Thai League Football — Match Preview
Muangthong United play Nakhon Pathom, a team headed for relegation
TROUBLED TIGERS
Nakhon Pathom won promotion as champions of T2 in 2022–23. The Tigers’ first season of top-flight competition was a success, as they avoided relegation and finished 12th overall.
Under the leadership of Singaporean manager Akbar Nawas, the club played attacking football and set several records, including a 10–0 victory in the FA Cup early rounds and nearly qualifying for the quarter-finals.
This season, however, the Tigers are in trouble. Nawas has left the club along with several first-string players. They are in last place, with just one win, a draw, and eight losses.
PREVIOUS MEETINGS
The 2023–24 season marked the first meeting of these clubs. Muangthong United defeated the Tigers 3–1 at the Thunderdome in September, 2023, with Poramet scoring the winner at the final whistle.
Last time out the clubs played to a 2–2 draw, thanks to a goal from Willian Popp and a late equaliser from Stefan Sepovic.
INSIGHTS
Muangthong United has scored 13 goals in its last five matches. In contrast, Nakhon Pathom scored just 3 and has yet to keep a clean sheet in six games.
WHAT THE MANAGER SAYS
Muangthong United is coming off Thursday’s goal-fest in the Philippines, in which the Kirin defeated Dynamic Herb Cebu 9–2 in the ACL Champions League Two.
“This is very important for us; players can feel confident they can score goals; they can see we can do this.” — Gino Lettieri
The Kirin have struggled to put the ball in the net in league play. Against PT Parchuap last week, they had 24 shots but only 6 on target. What looked like three sure-fire goals went wide.
Lettieri and fans alike expect the scoring to continue. The attacking style pushes many forward to create chances. Poramet, should he play, could repeat the hat-trick he scored against Cebu. Felico Brown was deadly accurate inside the box with his two goals, and more of the same is expected tonight.
“This is a difficult game for us. This is now the third time in a row where we have just 3–4 days between games, and we know everyone expects us to win, and of course, we want to win.”
TEAM NEWS
Central defender Abbos Otkanov has a groin injury, and it is uncertain whether he will play. Also, Poramet, Songwut, Strauss, and Emil Roback’s injuries may require Lettieri to limit match time or rest players.
SORAWIT PANTHONG (#14)
Sorawit, an attacking midfielder, is another player from whom we can expect goals tonight.
Sorawit joined Muangthong United when he was 19, having developed through Assumption College. He’s a local boy, born and raised in Nonthaburi.
For several years, Sorawit has been on loan to other T1 clubs, most notably Police Tero FC, before rejoining Muanghtong this season. He’s also featured for Thailand at the U23 level.
At 27, he’s now playing the best football of his career.
Sorawit is good in tight spaces, quickly evade defenders. He will look for chances to move between players and receive the ball. He has an excellent shot and will not hesitate to fire from a distance.
Stay updated on Muangthong United’s progress through its official Social Media channels:
- Twitter: muangthongutd
- Instagram: muangthongunited
- Facebook: MuangthongUnitedFootballClub
- Tiktok: muangthongutd
