Kitchee Set to Take on Old Nemesis Eastern in Week

Mired in a wave of successive matches, Kitchee is set to regroup and face Eastern on Saturday afternoon for a mouth-watering clash between two prominent premier league sides in the League Cup semi-final. The highly-anticipated match will take place in Mongkok Stadium and kick-off time will be 3:00pm. The Kitchee-Eastern matchup requires little introduction and there is no doubt that fans are all geared up for the weekend heavyweight battle. The two sides have already met up twice this season in various domestic competitions but had to settle for a 1:1 draw on both occasions. However, given the weekend League Cup semi-final will be a one-off, knockout match, therefore intensity throughout the game can be expected to pick up by several notches. While Kitchee might be coming off a demoralizing draw in the midweek AFC Cup circuit, striker Rufino Sgovia insists his side will not be affected heading into the weekend semi-final against Eastern. “They are two completely different matches and tournaments and I am very sure we will not be affected,” Sgovia declared. “In fact, Saturday’s match might just be the most important game for us this season. If we can beat Eastern this Saturday, besides booking our place in the League Cup final, we can also serve up a dent in Eastern’s confidence for the remainder of the season.” Rugged centre-back Helio Goncalves, who is back in training after a prolong period on the sidelines through injury, maintains the squad is ready to take on Eastern. “For us, Saturday’s game against Eastern is going to be very important and I am expecting a very high quality match,” Goncalves said. “I think facing Eastern is going to be better for Kitchee because they are a side that has a lot of quality players and like to play an attacking brand of football. That actually suits Kitchee’s playing style better and hopefully, will allow us to perform up to our typical standard on match day.”