Gian Chansrichawla
Football Tribe SEA Editor
With most of the attention on the top of the table clash in the Thai League, it is also important to remember the stakes at the other end, where top-flight journeys will soon be coming to an end to two sides in the division.
Chainat Hornbill and Sukhothai currently sit in the relegation zone, and their only hope of survival now hinges on being able to unseat two of the league’s most established clubs, Suphanburi and Nakhon Ratchasima, to remain in the division.
The day of destiny may come sooner than expected for Chainat, who play a six-pointer home game against the Swatcats today. The home side come into this game on an eight-game winless run, having not tasted victory since July. A loss for them and a win for Suphanburi, who travel to a Samut Prakan City side with relatively little to fight for.
Chainat stayed up amid incredible circumstances last season, with late drama against Suphanburi themselves keeping the Hornbills in the division at the expense of BG Pathum United, a side regularly in the upper echelons of the table.
They will be hoping for a repeat in the final seven days of this campaign. Nakhon Ratchasima have shown considerable defensive frailty in recent games, and their final game away against Chonburi should be more kind than Sukhothai and Suphanburi’s games.
Sukhothai’s hopes of staying in the division are also hanging by a thread as they host Trat. A win for them and a loss for Chainat could put them in the most favorable position, as they will travel to Nakhon Ratchasima on the final day knowing that their hosts having nothing to play for. However, they too are winless in seven games and squandered leads in both of their last two games against Muangthong and Ratchaburi, raising questions about their ability to see things out when the going gets tough.
Suphanburi, who looked down and out just a few weeks ago, are now within touching distance of survival, albeit with an incredibly difficult final hurdle to jump. They host Chiangrai United on the final day of the season, and the visitors could come with the intention of lifting their first-ever Thai League title if results go their way today.