2024-25 HKPL Season- Kitchee preview

Photo by Kitchee

The 2024-25 season is finally upon us. We have the HKPL fixtures, as the HKFA opt for a triple round robin system. The odd number of teams (again) means there will also be four bye weeks for each team. The dates could still yet change, and kick off times have not been confirmed, apart from the first weekend, which falls just before the Hong Kong team fly to Fiji for two games.

The structure of the cup competitions and the start dates are not yet decided, but as Kitchee fans we hope for an improvement on last campaign. Unfortunately there are no new stadiums for us this year, with every stadium being used last season, although Rangers have moved into Tsing Yi permanently and newly promoted Kowloon City have moved to Sham Shui Po Sports Ground, a sad reality for their fans who hoped they could stay inside their district (although thankfully it means no more Hammer Hill away days).

Opponent	23/24	23/24 Head to head	Home Stadium	Fixture dates	Ex Kitchee players	Return to former club for
Eastern	3rd	Kitchee 1, Eastern 4	Mong Kok Stadium	18/1 (A) 2/2 (H) 25/4 (A)		Leon Jones (22-24) Fernando (22-24)
HKFC	7th	Kitchee 6, HKFC 0	HKFC Stadium	5/10 (H) 16/2 (A) 26/4 (H)	Andy Russell (23-24)
Kowloon City	N/A	N/A	Sham Shui Po Sports Ground	25/9 (H) 24/11 (A) 26/2 (H)	Chan Man-fai (08-14) Tsang Kam-to (08-15)
Lee Man	1st	Kitchee 0, Lee Man 6	Tseung Kwan O	2/11 (H) 16/3 (H) 12/4 (A)	Li Ngai-hoi (10-20, academy graduate) Ngan Lok-fung (11-18, academy graduate) Chan Ka-ho (14-20, academy graduate)
North District	8th	Kitchee 6, ND 0	North District Sports Ground	31/8 (A) 8/3 (H) 5/4 (H)	Ho Chun-ting (18-23, attended academy)	Jordan Lam (23-24)
Rangers	6th	Kitchee 6, Rangers 0	Tsing Yi	21/9 (H) 9/2 (A) 4/5 (A)	Chang Kwong-yin (19-24, academy graduate) Barak Braunshtain (16-21, academy graduate)	Juninho (20-23)
Southern	5th	Kitchee 4, Southern 1	Aberdeen	14/9 (H) 11/1 (A) 29/3 (A)	Ju Yingzhi (18-21)	Cheng Chin-lung (21-22) Jordan Lam (20-21) Chen Ngo-hin (22-24) Seb Buddle (22-23)
Tai Po	2nd	Kitchee 4, Tai Po 1	Tai Po Sports Ground	19/10 (A), 26/1 (A) 17/5 (H)	Lucas Silva (17-19) Philip Chan (21-22) Igor Sartori (23-24)	Tan Chun-lok (16-18)

We have a lot of work to do to challenge for the title, but having two of our three games against Lee Man at Mong Kok Stadium will hopefully work in our favour. We do have two 'away games' with Eastern and two tricky trips to Tai Po. Our first five league games are extremely winnable, with four of them taking place at Mong Kok Stadium. See you at North District Sports Ground on the 31st August, a 4pm kick off.

In other news Sohgo Ichikawa is having a trial at Real Union CF, who previously had Shinichi Chan on their books in 2023 and play in the Spanish third tier. They are owned by the family of Aston Villa manager Unai Emery. One of the big issues facing young Hong Kong footballers is the exposure to greater quality and physicality from abroad, so if Ichikawa can get himself a loan or permanent move, it will bode well for him and the Hong Kong team, and potentially Kitchee if only a temporary move.

In international news, it was announced that Taiwan will no longer host the EAFF Qualifying competition in December 2024. This decision makes Hong Kong extremely likely to be hosting instead, as the city has three eligible venues- Hong Kong Stadium, Mong Kok Stadium and Tseung Kwan O Sports Ground, with the smaller Kai Tak venue possibly an option if the stadium is ready. Hong Kong's new manager is expected to be announced soon, with one name mentioned being Afghanistan boss Ashley Westwood, who managed Bengaluru when they beat Kitchee in the AFC Cup in 2016.

Written by Adam O'Domhnaill

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