The new season of Thai League 1 kicks off today with Ratchaburi taking on newcomers Trat at home in the curtain-raiser.
Ratchaburi, who are likely to be without their three foreign players for the opener, will be out to put behind their struggles of the last season when they narrowly avoided relegation by finishing 12th in the top flight.
The Dragons will be missing Kang Soo-Il and Manuel Ott, with Steeven Langil being a doubtful starter. The trio of Ratchaburi foreign stars are nursing injuries.
Trat, on the other hand, will be hoping they could reproduce the form that helped them claim the runners-up spot in the second tier in 2018.
Besides winning a last-minute extension deal for on-loan SCG Muang Thong Thani striker Chenrop Samphaodi, Trat have been able to strengthen their squad by signing the Kirins' Nukoolkit Krutyai and Lonsana Doumbouya from PT Prachuap.
However, Trat will be making their first ever appearance in Thai League 1 under new coach Payong Khunnet, who took over the team's reins when Dusit Chalermsan quit after ensuring promotion for the club in October.
Payong said: "We are the one of the three new teams in Thai League 1 this season but we are ready for the challenges. We are looking forward to our first game with Ratchaburi.
"We have made quite a few changes to the team because the standard of every team in this division is very high.
"We have to see what sort of start we make in the tournament. We are a small team but we are ready put in 100 percent effort in every game."
Ratchaburi are aiming to finish among the top five teams in the league this season and club chairman Viwat Nitikanchana is hoping that his 120-million investment this season will pay off.
Viwat said: "This year, we want to produce better results and be ranked among the top teams. Our goal is to finish in the top five this season.
"We have spent at least 120 million baht to prepare the team and we hope to start the season on a winning note."
The match will start at 8pm and will be televised live by True4U, TrueSport HD2 and TrueSport 2.
