Kitchee Eye First Win in ACL2 at Kuching City; Jason Kan Looks for Debut
On.cc · 2 SOURCESabout 3 hours ago2 MIN
Summary
Kitchee will face Malaysian side Kuching City at Tahkin Alifin Stadium on Thursday evening in Group H of the AFC Champions League 2, seeking their first victory after opening the group stage with a draw against FC Gangwon. The Blue Tide brought 22 players to Malaysia, but injured trio Marcos Santos, Lam Pak-yin, and suspended Murtadaev stayed behind in Hong Kong. Defender Jason Kan Chi-kin could make his long-awaited Asian club competition debut, having previously traveled with Kitchee in 2023-24 without getting on the pitch.
Key Points
- Kitchee's Round 2 match against Kuching City kicks off at 8:15 PM HKT on Thursday, October 15, at Tahkin Alifin Stadium in Sarawak, Malaysia .
- The Blue Tide arrived in Kuching on Monday evening and conducted their first training session at a nearby C&D artificial turf facility on Tuesday morning, with all 22 traveling players taking part .
- Head coach Cadiz expressed confidence in his squad despite injuries to Dudo and Kaneda Yumemi, stating the final call on their availability would come closer to kickoff .
- Jason Kan Chi-kin, who accompanied Kitchee on their 2023-24 AFC Champions League campaign but never made an appearance, is eager to finally make his Asian club competition debut against Kuching City .
- Kuching City, who finished second in the Malaysian Super League last season, have won four consecutive league matches since their opening 0-3 loss to Johor DT, scoring 15 goals while conceding just one, with 28-year-old Bosnian striker Mejakic finding the net eight times across all competitions .
Why It Matters
This match carries significant weight for Kitchee's qualification prospects, as a win would put them in a strong position in Group H ahead of tougher opponents. For Jason Kan, the potential debut marks the culmination of years of development under experienced centre-backs Roger, Dudo, and Marcos Santos, highlighting Kitchee's commitment to nurturing local talent through internal competition .
This match carries significant weight for Kitchee's qualification prospects, as a win would put them in a strong position in Group H ahead of tougher opponents. For Jason Kan, the potential debut marks the culmination of years of development under experienced centre-backs Roger, Dudo, and Marcos Santos, highlighting Kitchee's commitment to nurturing local talent through internal competition .