- Qatar 2022 qualifier at Hong Kong Stadium on Tuesday night could prove key on the road to AFC Asian Cup 2023 in China
- Defender Andy Russell hopes supporters can make it down to create another ‘excellent atmosphere’
Hong Kong's qualifying campaign began with a frustrating draw away to Cambodia on the first match day in what was Mixu Paatelainen's first competitive game in charge. Both sides will be looking to move past that result when they renew acquaintances on Tuesday night under the floodlights at Hong Kong Stadium.
"I think we're a better team today than we were then," Paatelainen said. "I think we play better, I think our defending is better, I think we have gelled in a little bit. Also, we know exactly what Cambodia are all about. It was very early for our players to play apart from those who play abroad, to play in Cambodia. Only one official match before that. From that respect we are more ready."
That 1-1 draw at the Olympic Stadium in Phnom Penh in September was the first time that Hong Kong had failed to beat Cambodia, having won their previous five meetings, a run dating back to 1957. It was not the flying start that the new coach was looking for.
Tan Chun-lok opened the scoring for Hong Kong that night before Keo Sokpheng equalised for Felix Dalmas' side. It could have been worse for the visitors if Cambodia's teen substitute Sieng Chanthea's strike had not hit the post in the closing stages.
Hong Kong have only added a solitary point in the three matches since. That came against Bahrain at Hong Kong Stadium last Thursday, where goalkeeper Yapp Hung-fai was the stand-out performer for Mixu Paatelainen's side. The players were applauded off the pitch after the match.
"The boys have recovered from the previous match. They put a lot of effort in against Bahrain," Paatelainen said, having given them a couple of days off to recover. Only striker Sandro is missing with a hamstring injury.
Defender Andy Russell said the team are well prepared. "The mentality of the team is good. We put in maximum effort in the last game. We've had a couple of days to rest, recover, both physically and mentally."
The Hebei China Fortune player also praised the fans who made it to Hong Kong Stadium for the Bahrain game.
"I thought Thursday despite the numbers was an absolutely excellent atmosphere. I thought there were more people there than actually were. The two home games the atmosphere was absolutely excellent.
"First and foremost everyone stay safe but if people can get down and support the team it will make a huge difference."
Cambodia remain rooted to the bottom of group C on one point. Their next game after Hong Kong was hosting Bahrain, which they lost 1-0.
Next came a trip to Tehran in October to face group favourites Iran, the highest ranked team in Asia. The hosts won 14-0.
That loss was followed by a 4-0 home defeat by Iraq to leave the Cambodians with a -19 goal difference. At least Dalmas and his side can put some of that down to their belief in youth.
From the first game against Hong Kong, the squad has been largely made up of players aged under 23 as the Southeast Asians look to the future. Dalmas is only 31, while the team's general manager, Keisuke Honda, is only 33.
Japan international Honda, who played for AC Milan from 2014 to 2017, has not yet hung up his boots and combines his role with Cambodia alongside a playing role for new club Vitesse Arnhem in the Netherlands, who he signed for earlier this month.
The Angkor Warriors opting for youth is at odds with an experienced Hong Kong side. Several of the squad, including Yapp and striker Alex Akande, played in their 2016 friendly win over Cambodia.
Paatelainen pleaded the case for continuity. "We have so far improved every time we've played. It would be foolish to make overhaul changes," he said.
Still, he hopes for a change in the goals for column on Tuesday.
"We hope that tomorrow we have goals in our team, 100 per cent, because we want to perform well and we want to get a good result. But you can never predict before the game, we're hoping.
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"We have applied tactics where we should have more firepower. Hopefully we get some goalscoring opportunities and the boys are sharp on those occasions."
While Tuesday's result will have little bearing on who goes through to the next round of AFC World Cup Qualifying, a win for either side would help in their quest to get to the AFC Asian Cup in China in 2023.
This group acts as a qualifying stage for that tournament too, with the fourth place team in with a chance of going straight into the next stage of qualification rather than facing a play-off first.
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