South China (Hong Kong) vs Home United

Sivaji urges Home to “show true mettle”

Tam Cheong Yan
info@sleague.com

Home United coach PN Sivaji has called on his side to give a clear illustration of their quality on Tuesday evening, when they take on South China of Hong Kong in the AFC Cup Round of 16.

The one-off clash at Hong Kong Stadium will decide which of the two teams will move on to the quarterfinals, which will be held in September.

Being part of the last eight is an experience Home are familiar with, having gone at least that far in three of the previous five editions of the tournament.

Playing in the Round of 16 is something new to them, though, as this stage was created this year as part of a wider revamp in all continental club tournaments run by the AFC.

The changes certainly had their impact as far as Home were concerned, as they were put through a Group H that also included Thailand’s Provincial Electric Authority and reigning Vietnamese champions Becamex Binh Duong.

Finishing second in the group behind Binh Duong meant the Protectors were able to continue their Asian adventure this season, though, and Sivaji is planning to use the momentum from their earlier results to maintain their fine AFC Cup pedigree.

“I mentioned earlier in the season that this year’s competition is much stronger than before,” he told sleague.com in an interview from Hong Kong.

“The reason we have a Round of 16 now is because we have more teams, many coming from last year’s Asian Champions League. If we look at our performance in the group stage, understandably we struggled against the two teams who have been there before.

“We won one and lost one apiece against PEA and Binh Duong, so it is a tough competition. The fact that we have got into this round shows that we have the quality to go even beyond this level.

“Now, it is for the players who are picked on Tuesday to show their true mettle. It’s going to be very tough, but if we go in with everything we have in terms of confidence and quality, I’m sure we will achieve our target of reaching the quarterfinals.”

While South China will be familiar opponents for the Protectors after they had met in the AFC Cup group stage in 2008, there have been some changes since.

Previously bossed by former Portuguese star Jose Luis, they now have a Korean man in charge in the form of Kim Pan Gon, who is no stranger to Hong Kong football having played and coached for three different clubs in a four-year spell that had begun in 2000.

There are also changes to their playing personnel, with the arrival of Brazilian striker Carlos Eduardo ‘Cacá’ Ferrari the most notable development.

The 30-year-old came to Hong Kong in January after a lengthy spell playing in his homeland and Europe, counting Spanish clubs UD Salamanca, Albacete and Universidad Las Palmas among his former employers.

Cacá joins compatriots Tales Schutz and Sidraílson da Mata Ribeiro as the three foreigners registered by South China for the competition, meaning there is no place for their burly chief striker Detinho dos Santos.

Detinho had bagged 21 goals in all domestic competitions as the club won the Coolpoint Ventilation First Division title for the third time running, but was omitted in favour of Cacá and Schutz after an ineffective continental campaign last year.

Even without the 35-year-old, the Shaolin Temple – as they are sometimes known in Hong Kong – have enough firepower from their local ranks, having recruited several new faces from their domestic rivals.

Former Kitchee captain Chan Siu Ki is the club’s second top scorer this term with 19 goals in all local competitions, while Au Yeung Yiu Chung, signed last year upon the dissolution of his former club Workable FC, has also chipped in with nine to his name.

“It’s clear looking at the squad that after last year, they decided to get a few more local players into the team,” commented Sivaji on South China’s squad composition.

“In last year’s competition, they depended too much on the foreigners. It’s partially because in the Hong Kong league, they allow something like six or seven foreigners at one go, and that affects them considerably in the AFC Cup.

“This year, I hear there was a considered decision by the club to look at more local players and use them more in the local league. Taking this into account, and having watched some of their matches on DVDs, they look a little bit more potent than last year.

“They are much more organized in terms of getting their shape together, and in the games I saw, they play in many different formations. I really have no clue as to how they will approach the game against us, so we have to just concentrate on playing to our strengths.”

Home will be boosted by the likely return of Brazilian midfielder Peres de Oliveira, who had scored twice the last time the team had played in Hong Kong.

Oliveira had been rested for most of the Protectors’ League Cup campaign with a knee strain, but has been declared fit after the team’s first training session on Sunday evening.

The AFC Cup veteran’s return means Sivaji will have a full squad of 19 players to choose from, apart from versatile defender Shahril Alias, who is suspended.

Norikazu Murakami and Isa Halim, who were both signed after the close of the AFC Cup’s first registration deadline, are also not eligible for selection in this match, although both were part of the travelling party.

“We brought them, along with Shahril, because we will face Gombak (United) in the league on 27 June,” explained the Protectors coach.

“Leaving them alone in Singapore with no one to supervise them would not have been ideal, so we brought them along. The club has been really magnanimous to allow them to come too, so that they can be conditioned for the game against Gombak.

“Everyone trained today, in our first day here. Peres played against Woodlands with a strain on the knee, but he continued anyway, and he trained fully today.

“So I am pleased to report that we do not have any injury problems. Everyone should be available on Tuesday.”