SINGAPORE -- In their quest for an unprecedented fourth Thai League 1 title in a row, Buriram United currently boast a healthy eight-point lead into the second half of the campaign.
They are firmly in with a chance of reaching the knockout round of the inaugural edition of the AFC Champions League Elite, and are also expected to go far in their domestic FA and League Cups.
But for the first time in two decades, there is also the prospect of regional glory with this season's return of the ASEAN Club Championship.
Any suspicion that Buriram might not be taking the competition as seriously was dismissed from the moment they fielded a formidable outfit in their campaign opener, even if they did fall to a 2-1 loss to Công An Hà Nội.
Since then, however, the Thai powerhouses have notched convincing wins against Kaya FC-Iloilo and Borneo Samarinda to be firmly in the hunt for a top-two finish in Group B -- and a place in the semifinals.
And, as they look to move one step closer to progressing when they take on Singapore Premier League outfit Lion City Sailors on Thursday, Buriram coach Osmar Loss reiterated their desire to be successful on numerous fronts.
"Our goals for this season are really high," the Brazilian tactician told ESPN.
"We expect to be champions in many competitions. We expect to go for the next stage in the Champions League Elite. It's a really good challenge to face this.
"I'm really happy with the performance of the team until now. Of course, now in the second leg of the season, it'll be important to keep this high level or even improve. This is our challenge.
"Every day, we talk about how to improve the way that we play. And we're really excited to be playing here in international competition."
Although the mid-season interval allowed Buriram to strengthen with some noticeable reinforcements, including Thailand star Suphanat Mueanta, Austria international Peter Žulj and Italian forward Martin Boakye, none of their new arrivals will be eligible for the ASEAN Club Championship with the exception of Chatchai Budprom -- who was given special dispensation to be registered given the club's injury crisis in the goalkeeping department.
Still, the increased number of options at his disposal will be a huge boost for Loss as he looks to juggle Buriram's multiple commitments.
"We have many important goals for this season," he added. "I think it's the [most] number of competitions [ever] for Buriram.
"One challenge not inside the pitch is that we have a lot of foreign players, Asian players and ASEAN players. To choose the players to fit the [competition] regulations was a challenge.
"To manage this, because there are a lot of games and different competitions, we need to be clever to choose which players to play in each competition. To keep the players fresh and not create more risk of injury.
"Our job is to keep getting the points while keeping all the players safe and fresh to play."
Buriram will be aware that the Sailors will not be pushovers, especially after they claimed two victories over another Thai club in Port in the group stage of the AFC Champions League Two.
Still, Buriram should head into Thursday's games as the favourites despite being the visitors, and captain Narubadin Weerawatnodom is confident his teammates know exactly how to cope with such a situation.
"Of course, the Shopee Cup [ASEAN Club Championship] is a very important tournament for us because we can be the best team in ASEAN," said the experienced defender.
"We know that we have much experience to approach tomorrow's big game.
"There is pressure but I think the team will handle it. It will be an exciting game and we'll do our best to get the victory."