As one of the most frequent matchups in domestic football during the current campaign, it should not surprise anyone to see Kwoon Chung Southern and Kitchee pitted against each other once again in the Season Playoffs final. Before the start of this intriguing matchup on Saturday, let us preview the Kwoon Chung Southern – Kitchee clash from various angles and statistics.

Head-to-Head… …Did You Know?

The Kwoon Chung Southern – Kitchee matchup is fast-earning “arch-rival” status. The two sides have almost met up in every single domestic tournament this season and share a very equal head-to-head record (two wins, two draws and two losses), indicating there is really not much separating the two teams.

Despite an identical head-to-head record, it should be noted that the two victories that Kwoon Chung Southern enjoyed over Kitchee both came in knockout tournaments, including the Senior Shield semi-final and the FA Cup quarter-final. The two sides are scheduled to meet up once again on Saturday for another winner-takes-all clash and Kwoon Chung Southern's chances should not be underestimated.

Opening the Score… …Did You Know?

Kwoon Chung Southern and Kitchee has met up for six times this season and only the first of the six matches ended in scoreless after ninety minutes (the Sapling Cup group battle). In the ensuing five games, a Kwoon Chung Southern player always ended up scoring the first goal of the match, including an own goal by Kwoon Chung Southern player Chan Cham-hei in a BOCG Life Hong Kong Premier League fixture. On the same token, Kitchee always found a way to answer back later in the game. It will be very interesting to see whether the current trend will continue in Saturday's game.

Goal Sources… …Did You Know?

Similar to a lot of outstanding teams, Kitchee and Kwoon Chung Southern each have multiple attacking options, making them very hard to defend against. From Kitchee's perspective, Alexander Akande and Rufino Sgovia have each netted eleven goals from all domestic competitions this season, followed by Alessandro Leonardo (ten goals) and Jorge Tarres (seven goals), demonstrating what a powerful goal-scoring machine Kitchee actually is.

However, Kwoon Chung Southern is no slouch neither. Wellingsson De Souza, James Ha and Michael Luk all recorded eight goals apiece this season. While James Ha and Michael Luk will likely miss out on this weekend's Season Playoffs final due to injury and suspension, Kwoon Chung Southern can still call on midfielder Jose Diaz and centre-back Diego Garrido as goal-scoring options, making the district side a truly well-rounded attacking force from defense, midfield all the way to up-front. 

Pay Attention To

Sham Kwok-keung… …the Kitchee attacker received sporadic playing time for the Blues this season, only taking part in fifteen games in all competition while starting eight of them. However, the always hard-working Sham is the one Kitchee player who has recorded the most goals against Kwoon Chung Southern this season (two). In fact, Sham has faced the Hong Kong Island side on four occasions this campaign and his two goals actually came from the two occasions when he entered the game as a substitute! Yet on the two times that he started against Kwoon Chung Southern, the Kitchee attacker somehow failed to find the back of the net. Therefore should you see Sham entering the game as a substitute on Saturday, be aware.

Tse Tak-him and Wong Tsz-him… …goalkeeper Tse Tak-him joined Kwoon Chung Southern this season and immediately steadied the position with his vast experience and steady performances. Unfortunately, the Hong Kong international picked up a knock late in the season and had to miss out on the Season Playoffs fixture against South China. Deputy Wong Tsz-him earned the call for the crunching battle against the Caroliners and passed through the test with flying colors while helping his side to progress to Saturday's Season Playoffs final. It will be interesting to see who will be getting the call to take up Kwoon Chung Southern's goalkeeper position this weekend.