ACL Two Pre-Match Press Conference | vs BG Pathum United

It’s the BG derby. After spending the second half of September on the road, the Stags finally return home for Matchday 2 of the AFC Champions League (ACL) Two 2025/26 campaign at Bishan Stadium. The boys in yellow and black kicked things off in style with a commanding 3–0 win over Kaya FC-Iloilo in Capas, Philippines. Sitting at the top of the table with 3 points, the Stags will be eager to build on that win.

After their unbeaten run across all competitions was halted by a setback against Selangor in the ACC Shopee Cup, the Stags refuse to dwell on defeat. Instead, the team remains laser-focused on the battles ahead.

Up next — BG Pathum United. The Rabbits, currently 4th in Thai League 1, lost in their opener with a narrow 1–0 defeat to South Korea’s Pohang Steelers. But with big names like Tomoyuki Doi and Chanathip Songkrasin in their ranks, the Thai side will be determined to bounce back and claim their first 3 points of the ACL Two campaign.

Here are all the details from the pre-match press conference with Head Coach Noh Rahman and Amirul Adli:

On Winning Start in the ACL Two Campaign

Noh Rahman: The intention of the team is quite clear. We want to continue the good work that we started in this competition, and that means full focus on the BG (Pathum United) game.

On the Loss Against Selangor in the ACC Shopee Cup

Amirul Adli: This is football. You win, lose or draw. All of us are just focusing on getting a better result this next game, and that’s what we are working on very hard. Hopefully tomorrow we get a very good result against BG (Pathum United).

Noh Rahman: The game against Selangor in terms of the result was a little bit disappointing. But overall, when we look back at the game, I thought that the performance was quite decent actually. We had good moments in the game but at the same time, there were moments where it was quite important for us to remain fully focused. So, those moments really affected us in that game. But again, I think that the team is experienced enough, the players are experienced enough to not look back at those moments because there’s nothing we can do in terms of looking back. We can only learn from those moments and now it’s the time to look forward, which is the game against BG (Pathum United). The boys are ready for that.

On BG Pathum United

Noh Rahman: We are quite clear. We knew the strengths of that team. They have several individual good quality players in Chanathip (Songkrasin) and a few other players. We’ve been watching their games recently, and they have had good results. We are aware of their threats but we are also prepared.

On Facing Tomoyuki Doi

Amirul Adli: He’s a very good player, especially last season when we played against him. But I feel that the team has faced a lot of good quality opponents. And our main focus is not just (Tomoyuki) Doi, because BG (Pathum United) has a lot of great players. I feel that when we are a team, we are capable of doing well against any team. So, instead of focusing on (Tomoyuki) Doi, we will just focus on ourselves.

On Squad Availability

Noh Rahman: After the game against Selangor, everyone is more or less fully fit. We had 1 or 2 players (who were) a little bit doubtful, but we will assess them today in training. But more or less, the team is ready. Overall, the team has a little bit more experience than the campaign last year, so those experiences are really valuable to face opponents like BG (Pathum United).

On National Team Call-up

Amirul Adli: For me, and I’m sure the other players in the team share the same idea, (I am) just fully focused against BG (Pathum United). I won’t be focusing on (the matches against) India for the time being. Right now, all my 100% focus and energy is for this game.

The Stags vs The Rabbits - Catch the match LIVE on meWatch tomorrow, 2 October at 6pm.

Ticket sales will only be available on-site and will start 2 hours before kick-off at the ticketing booth located between Gate 3 and 4 at Bishan Stadium.