The team flew to Bangkok early on Thursday morning before taking a five hour bus ride to Trat province, so they would be able to train at Trat stadium this evening.
Phuket’s Coach Paniphol Kerdyaem has key defenders like Yusuke Sato and Assawin Boonmun back in his first 11, but still faces problems among the forwards.
“We have eight players out with injuries right now,” Coach Paniphol told The Phuket News.
“Two of them [Nirun and Kritsada] will be out for a long time. Kornprom has suffered ankle and knee injuries. Dudu has a muscle tear on his right thigh, and Eak-artit remains to be tested for fitness. But we have got Sato and Assawin back. All we can do right now is manage our resources as best we can.”
His big concern is for the games next week: “We have three games in less than ten days. There will be extensive travel that will definitely affect our players. It is a test for us. But the players are eager to win since we haven’t won any games this month.”
Trat FC are currently ranked 10th in Thai Division One with 13 points from three wins and four draws in 11 games. Despite a recent sequence of draws, Phuket are hovering in fifth place in the league, with 18 points from four wins and six draws.
The Trat FC versus Phuket FC match kicks off at the Trat provincial stadium on at 5pm on Saturday at 5pm and the game will be broadcast live on Football Siam TV, True Visions Channel 114.