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Friday, December 08, 2017, 15:06
HK champions Kitchee take on ACL winners Jeonbuk Hyundai
By Tobias Zuser
Friday, December 08, 2017, 15:06 By Tobias Zuser

Kitchee are still undefeated this season after drawing 1-1 with Southern in the Sapling Cup. (PHOTO COURTESY OF HKFA.COM)

2017 is slowly coming to an end and this weekend the Hong Kong Premier League clubs get together for the last round of the year, before various cup competitions will take over Christmas and New Year holidays. Meanwhile, the Asian Football Confederation announced the draw for the 2018 Asian Champions League, in which Kitchee will participate as Hong Kong’s main representative. Their opponents in group E include K League Classic champions Jeonbuk Hyundai, while the other two teams are not yet confirmed. However, it is very likely that Kitchee will meet one team from Japan, which could be either Kashiwa Reysol or Cerezo Osaka, as well as Tianjin Quanjian from the Chinese Super League or Brisbane Roar from the Australian A-League. The Hong Kong champions will start their group campaign during the Chinese New Year holidays with an away game on 13 February in either Tianjin or Brisbane, followed by a home game against 2016 ACL champions Joenbuk Hyundai on 20 February. Last year’s runners-up Eastern will take part in the second round of the ACL qualifiers, where they face Vietnamese Thanh Hóa in a one-legged play-off on 23 January. The winners of this game will have to take on Suwon Samsung Bluewings in South Korea for the remaining group stage spot in Group H.

However, in the meantime the local teams will be kept busy in domestic football, with Round 8 kicking off on Saturday.

R&F v EASTERN, Premier League, Yanzigang Stadium (CHN), Dec 9, 2:30 pm

On Saturday, Eastern will travel north to take on R&F. The Guangzhou-based club has just suffered a 1-2 defeat in the Sapling Cup against Pegasus, and coach Marek Zajac is also dealing with a decimated squad. Serbian midfielder Marko Perovic and Brazilian striker Bruninho have already left the team, while Itaparica missed the last game due to injury. However, their hopes might rest on a troubled Eastern side that still hasn’t found a way out of the current crisis. When things appeared to get better, the Blues lost 0-1 to Dreams in the Sapling Cup. The team’s biggest weakness is still their defence, and Eastern will probably be well advised to gear up during the upcoming transfer window.

Eastern suffer another 0-1 defeat against Dreams in the Sapling Cup. (PHOTO COURTESY OF HKFA.COM)

PEGASUS v DREAMS, Premier League, Hong Kong Stadium, Dec 9, 5:30 pm

Later on Saturday, Pegasus will lock horns with Dreams at Hong Kong Stadium. The Flying Horsemen are currently on a streak of three consecutive wins and will look to prolong this run. Unfortunately, they will have to do this without their Bulgarian centre-back Rosen Kolev, who has suffered several broken ribs in the latest game and is expected to miss at least four to six weeks of action. Coach Yeung Ching-kwong might use again Australian striker Travis Major in defence, although this move usually comes with a certain amount of risk. Their 0-7 defeat to Kitchee aside, Dreams have probably been the biggest surprise package this season, celebrating wins against Southern, Lee Man, Rangers, and most recently Eastern. If things go their way, an upset might be well on the cards.

TAI PO v YUEN LONG, Premier League, Tai Po Sports Ground, Dec 10, 2:30 pm

The Sunday starts with another New Territories derby between Tai Po and Yuen Long. Both clubs enjoyed a bye-week recently, after meeting each other in the Sapling Cup on 26 November. Back then, the Greens celebrated a clear-cut 3-0 victory over the Tangerines, who didn’t look like an equal opponent that day. However, earlier this season, Yuen Long successfully kicked out Tai Po in the Senior Shield quarter finals, so the derby spirit might again shake things up a bit. In addition, Lee Chi-kin’s men will be without 21-year-old Tan Chun-lok, who picked up his fifth yellow card in the last match and therefore has to miss one game. Following maintenance work, this will also be the first home game of the season for Tai Po at their beloved sports ground, so visitors can definitely expect a solid turnout.

Rangers and Lee Man share points in the relegation battle. (PHOTO COURTESY OF HKFA.COM)

RANGERS v KITCHEE, Premier League, Sham Shui Po Sports Ground, Dec 10, 2:30 pm

At the same time at 2:30 pm, Rangers will host Kitchee in Sham Shui Po in a match between the top and the bottom. Unsurprisingly, the reigning champions are the clear favourites for this game, despite finishing their latest Sapling Cup appearance in a 1-1 draw with Southern. However, as usual, coach Alex Chu used such occasion to experiment with his huge squad. Meanwhile, Rangers find themselves in a bit of a crisis. Although they surprised their critics by sharing points with rivals Lee Man in the Premier League last weekend, it seems that coach Dejan Antonic has lost his power. He will be absent for the next two weeks, during which former Biu Chun Glory Sky player Gerard Ambassa Guy will take charge of the team. Rangers will particularly hope for new signing Walter Vaz to have a quick impact. The Bissau-Guinean striker is also not a stranger to Hong Kong football, as he briefly played for Southern last season.   

LEE MAN v SOUTHERN, Premier League, Tseung Kwan O Sports Ground, Dec 10, 5:30 pm

The last game of the round will be fought out between Lee Man and Southern at Tseung Kwan O Sports Ground on Sunday night. Newcomers Lee Man were unable to put some distance between them and the bottom of the league, which means that Rangers are still lurking behind them, just separated by one point. It seems that the Bees have especially suffered from the absence of goal-getter Jordi Tarres, who picked up an injury in the latest international game against Lebanon. Meanwhile, Southern will try to seize this opportunity to make things right after what could be described as a disappointing campaign. With four defeats, they have already lost as many games as in the entire last season, but currently they are still just two points behind third-placed Tai Po, so a good finish should be still in reach.

 

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