LONDON: When Buriram United play Al-Ahli in the quarter-final of the AFC Champions League Elite on Saturday, Neil Etheridge will face a familiar foe. In a strange twist of footballing fate, Etheridge is — for the fifth time in his career — set to line up against striker Ivan Toney.
But having previously met in matches in England’s League One and Championship, the ACL Elite quarter-final represents the pair’s most significant encounter to date.
Philippines international Etheridge has yet to concede to Toney — successfully shutting out the forward in games against Barnsley, Scunthorpe and Brentford between 2016 and 2021. It is a record he is hoping to maintain.
“You cross paths with many football players in your career but I definitely didn’t expect to see Ivan Toney again,” Etheridge, who moved to Thailand last summer, told Arab News from Buriram’s pre-match camp in Bangkok.
“He’s had a fantastic career and it’s amazing to see where he is now from our first meeting in League One. He’s a great talent and I’m going to really enjoy playing against him one more time. Those stats (four games, no goals conceded) are nice to know, but will be irrelevant when we get on to the pitch.
“More than anything, I’m just happy to see another player step out of his comfort zone and leave English football for something totally different.”
Etheridge did just that himself last year, swapping Birmingham City for Buriram, winners of the Thai League in each of the past three seasons and currently one game away from adding an unprecedented fourth successive title to their tally.
“It’s difficult to think too much about the future in football so I wouldn’t say a move to Asia was always something I planned to do,” Etheridge said. “But I first joined the Philippines national team when I was 18 and have had so many positive experiences playing in Asia since then.
“Then last year, the opportunity came up and it felt like the right club and the right time. I think the Thai League is the strongest in Southeast Asia and I felt a real sense of ambition when I spoke to Buriram.
“They wanted to push on beyond the group stage of the Champions League and had a clear desire to achieve more, which made it a good fit for me. It’s a completely different challenge in my career but I am really enjoying it so far.”
Etheridge’s next challenge with Buriram is to try to keep one of the 2024-25 AFC Champions League Elite’s most prolific frontlines at bay. Only Al-Hilal have scored more than Al-Ahli’s 26 goals in this season’s competition, with Riyad Mahrez currently second in the race for Asia’s Golden Boot having netted eight times.
Mahrez, a UEFA Champions League winner with Manchester City, scored twice against Etheridge in a 5-0 win for Pep Guardiola’s side against Cardiff in 2018. And the Buriram shot-stopper knows he will have his work cut out to keep Mahrez and co. at bay on Saturday.
“Playing against the best players in the world is something that you live for in football — you always want to test yourself against the best,” Etheridge said. “That’s why I came to Buriram — to have the opportunity to play against Asia’s best players.
“Now because of the money being spent in Saudi Arabia, there is also a chance to play against genuinely world-class players in the Champions League.”
Buriram have already punched above their weight in this season’s competition with several eye-catching results, including a 0-0 draw at home to Vissel Kobe, a 2-1 away win at Central Coast Mariners and home victories against South Korea’s 2020 AFC Champions League winners Ulsan Hyundai and 2021 runners-up Pohang Steelers.
In the last 16, Etheridge and his team-mates edged an attritional tie with Johor Darul Ta’zim, the Malaysian team with which Buriram has regularly battled for Southeast Asian supremacy in recent years. Etheridge kept a pair of clean sheets, with a 1-0 second leg win enough to book a quarter-final meeting with Al-Ahli.
“We drew 0-0 with Johor in the group stage too so all of the games were very tight,” Etheridge said. “It definitely felt like there was a lot on the line and the atmosphere has been fantastic every time — they have a very hostile crowd there in Malaysia. These are the sort of matches you dream of playing to be honest — with high stakes.”
Etheridge is one of several players in the Buriram squad with European football experience, along with the likes of Austria international Peter Zulj, former Red Star Belgrade midfielder Goran Causic and Real Madrid academy graduate Marcelo Djalo.
Coach Osmar Loss will be relying on their calming influence if Buriram are to spring a surprise against Al-Ahli.
“I’m fortunate enough to captain my national team and I’ve been a leader in dressing rooms before,” Etheridge said. “Some players will be excited, some players will be extremely nervous but it’s up to the senior guys to take on a leadership role and keep things calm on the pitch.”
Facing an Al-Ahli team full of star names and with the club determined to win its maiden AFC Champions League Elite title — having finished as runners-up in 1986 and 2012, Etheridge recogises that he and Buriram will be major underdogs in Jeddah.
“We know Al-Ahli is a very big challenge for us. The match is in Saudi Arabia, in their own stadium. They are a club with a huge budget and you can see the players that they have brought in — not just Al-Ahli but across the board in Saudi Arabia.
“It’s going to be a tough battle but it’ll be a great experience for everyone. I guess there’s no pressure for us — realistically we’re not expected to win because Al-Ahli haven’t lost in the Champions League so far.
“I won’t stand here and say ‘we’re going to win,’ but in a one-off game, of course anything can happen in football. We will be tactically prepared, mentally prepared — and all we can do is give it our best.”
