After an impressive showing in their ASEAN Club Championship debut a month ago, Johor Darul Ta'zim will be looking to maintain their perfect start to the campaign on Thursday when they entertain Bangkok United at Sultan Ibrahim Stadium.
Having opted against participating in the tournament -- officially known as the Shopee Cup -- last season as it returned following a 20-year hiatus, JDT made an immediate impact as the new season got underway in August by claiming a commanding 3-1 win over Singapore Premier League champions Lion City Sailors.
Having been their fourth consecutive win to start the 2025-26 season at the time, the Southern Tigers have since gone on to rack up four more victories -- although they suffered their first blemish last week when they lost 2-1 to Buriram United in the AFC Champions League Elite.
That result would have been particularly disappointing given they had taken the lead in Buriram and looked on course for a first victory over the Thai League 1 outfit, only to now still be waiting to get one over their regional rivals after four meetings.
With the Thai League 1 widely regarded as the strongest domestic competition in Southeast Asia, coming up against another of its representatives in Bangkok United now offers JDT a chance to issue a statement that their record against Buriram is not a sign of a deeper-rooted issue.
Granted, Bangkok United are arguably just short of Buriram's pedigree but they are one of Thailand's most-consistent performers.
One-time domestic champions in 2006 when they were still known as Bangkok University, Bangkok United have not lifted the title since but have achieved seven top-three finishes in the past nine Thai League 1 seasons -- including being runners-up on five occasions.
Their status as perennial title challengers looks set to continue this term given they have claimed ten points from a possible 15 so far, having only suffered their first defeat at the weekend -- at the hands of no other than Buriram.
Last week, Bangkok United also got off to a flying start in the AFC Champions League Two -- Asian football's second-tier club competition -- with a 4-2 victory over another Malaysia Super League outfit and ASEAN Club Championship competitor in Selangor.
Already boasting one of the more-formidable squads in Thai football, Bangkok United heavily reinforced in the off-season as they brought in Teerasil Dangda, widely regarded as the best Southeast Asian striker of his generation, Indonesia international Pratama Arhan, and two of last season's standouts in the Singapore Premier League in Seia Kunori and Kyoga Nakamura to name but a few.
Their primary goal surely is to finally usurp Buriram but they too can flex their muscles on Thursday by pulling off a feat few teams in the region can realistically dream of: defeating JDT.
Either way, with both teams enjoying strong starts to the campaign barring the odd hiccup, and plenty of stars set to take to the field, Thursday's ASEAN Club Championship clash in Johor promises to be an epic.
All that remains to be seen is which team delivers the bigger statement of intent.