Kitchee Revitalized and Ready to Take on New Radia

Kitchee, while coming off a disappointing AFC Cup loss in Singapore and a mini break from the match fixtures, will resume its AFC Cup duty on Tuesday evening by facing fellow Group F side New Radiant SC at home in Mongkok Stadium. The match will go underway at 8:00pm. After the surprising loss against Balestier Khalsa last week, the weekend mini break might just be what the doctors ordered for Kitchee, as the side has been very much occupied by both regional and domestic matches. The Hong Kong side now sits on the second spot in Group F, after chalking up one win, one loss and three points from its first two AFC Cup games. With group-basement side New Radiant SC in its sight for Tuesday’s game, Kitchee will likely storm out of the gate with crystal-clear intentions, hoping to secure three points and step closer to lock up one of the top two positions in Group F. Midfielder Huang Yang indicates Tuesday’s game is more than about picking up three points. “We have always aimed to advance from this group with the top position and with how things are going at the moment, we really need to step up our game,” Huang stated. “As a matter of fact, the two Hong Kong sides in the AFC Cup both suffered losses last week in their respective games. Therefore I really want us to record a win on Tuesday evening and allow the fans to regain confidence in Hong Kong football sides.” Centre-back Li Ngai-hoi admitted Kitchee performed below par against Balaestier Khalsa and improvements are very much needed for the battle against New Radiant SC. “We did not capitalize on our chances in the previous game and that is something that we need to rectify this time around. We have always targeted finishing as the top dog in the group, therefore we will need to collect maximum points from the remaining games just to achieve that goal. At the same time, we also need to snatch as many goals as possible,” offered the promising defender.