傑志聖誕檔期火拼陽光元朗 勢要殺入高級組銀牌決賽

Defending Senior Shield champion Kitchee will lock horns with Sun Bus Yuen Long on Christmas Eve for a tasty Senior Shield semi-final, hoping to make one final push to nail down a coveted spot in this year’s finale. The battle against the New Territories side will take place in Mongkok Stadium on Sunday afternoon and kick-off time will be 3:00pm. Kitchee started this year’s Senior Shield competition rather smoothly, dusting off BC Rangers 5:0 in the quarter-final and advancing to the final four. While the Blues and Sun Bus Yuen Long might find themselves located at opposing ends in the premier league table, yet with enforcer Krisztian Vadocz’s absence though suspension and the trickiness of a one-off cup-tie, it should be noted that anything can happen on the pitch and Kitchee troops must stay on guard to avoid any kind of Christmas Eve upset. Kitchee striker Alexander Akander insists it is going to be a 50-50 battle against Sun Bus Yuen Long and players’ on-field mindsets will likely determine the outcome of the game. “Without a question, this is going to be a very hard game. Sun Bus Yuen Long seems to be rebounding recently and will likely provide us with pressure on the pitch,” offered the lanky striker. “Sun Bus Yuen Long plays a counter-attacking game and we know very well about this. As long as we can stay focused on the pitch, I do fancy our chances of overcoming the opponent.” Burly striker Lucas Da Silva, who has been on the sidelines for over a month due to injury, claims to be fully fit again and relishes the opportunity to get on the pitch and to compete. “It never feels good to be out injured and since my return to training, I have always wanted to play for Kitchee as soon as possible,” said the burly striker. “It is kind of ironic that my last game is actually against Sun Bus Yuen Long and I will do my outmost to push for a spot in the squad this weekend. However, no matter whether I actually play or not, everyone in the Kitchee camp is very determined to lead the team back to the Senior Shield final!”