Kuching FA host Kitchee in the AFC Cup. Both clubs have been picking up plenty of domestic wins recently, which makes this continental meeting an interesting one to weigh up.
Each side has already played once in this year's group stage, and the results went in different directions. How that carries into this meeting is still an open question.
Analysis updated .
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Strong domestic form, uneven continental starts
Kuching FA have been excellent domestically, winning the bulk of their games and scoring freely across their recent run. That form dipped on the continental stage though, where they lost their opening group match away to Phnom Penh Crown 2-1.
Kuching FA: 20 completed matches; Kitchee: 20 completed matches.
Kuching FA
- Win
- 65% 13 / 20
- Draw
- 20% 4 / 20
- Loss
- 15% 3 / 20
- Scored
- 39
- Conceded
- 15
- Difference
- +24
Kitchee
- Win
- 55% 11 / 20
- Draw
- 25% 5 / 20
- Loss
- 20% 4 / 20
- Scored
- 42
- Conceded
- 26
- Difference
- +16
| League | Home | Away | Date | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FA Cup | Kelantan City | Kuching FA | 20.09.2026 | 0-0 |
| AFC Champions League Two | Phnom Penh Crown | Kuching FA | 17.09.2026 | 2-1 |
| Super League | Melaka | Kuching FA | 12.09.2026 | 1-2 |
| FA Cup | Kuching FA | Kelantan Red Warrior FC | 08.09.2026 | 5-1 |
| Super League | Sabah FA | Kuching FA | 05.09.2026 | 0-2 |
| FA Cup | Kelantan Red Warrior FC | Kuching FA | 01.09.2026 | 0-0 |
| Super League | Kelantan Red Warrior FC | Kuching FA | 29.08.2026 | 0-5 |
| Super League | Kuala Lumpur FA | Kuching FA | 26.08.2026 | 0-6 |
| Super League | Johor Darul Takzim FC | Kuching FA | 21.08.2026 | 3-0 |
| Malaysia Cup | Johor Darul Takzim FC | Kuching FA | 23.05.2026 | 2-0 |
| League | Home | Away | Date | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| League Cup | Eastern | Kitchee | 26.09.2026 | 3-1 |
| AFC Champions League Two | Kitchee | Gangwon FC | 17.09.2026 | 0-0 |
| Premier League | Southern District | Kitchee | 12.09.2026 | 1-3 |
| Premier League | Kitchee | Eastern District | 06.09.2026 | 4-1 |
| Premier League | North District | Kitchee | 29.08.2026 | 0-0 |
| Premier League | BC Rangers | Kitchee | 22.08.2026 | 2-3 |
| Friendlies Clubs | Prime Bangkok | Kitchee | 29.07.2026 | 0-4 |
| Premier League | Kitchee | Eastern | 17.05.2026 | 4-4 |
| Premier League | Wofoo Tai Po | Kitchee | 02.05.2026 | 3-0 |
| Premier League | North District | Kitchee | 25.04.2026 | 2-2 |
Kitchee's domestic record in the Hong Kong Premier League is similarly healthy, with goals flowing at both ends. In this competition, though, they only managed a goalless draw away at Gangwon FC in their first group game.
Neither side has really shown their best domestic form in this competition yet.
Comparative Team Statistics: Kuching FA vs Kitchee
Early group table
The table here only covers these two after one round apiece. Kitchee sit third with a point from their draw, while Kuching FA are fourth following that defeat to Phnom Penh Crown.
| № | Team | Played | Win | Draw | Loss | GF/GA | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Group H | |||||||
| 1 | Phnom Penh Crown | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2/1 | 3 |
| 2 | Gangwon FC | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0/0 | 1 |
| 3 | Kitchee | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0/0 | 1 |
| 4 | Kuching FA | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1/2 | 0 |
It's very early days, so there's little separating the two sides in table terms yet.
What's at stake here
Kuching FA will fancy levelling their group campaign at home, and their domestic form suggests they know how to win games. Kitchee will be looking to build on their draw and pick up a first group win of their own.
Home advantage could count for something, but with both teams showing far better form domestically than they have in this competition so far, it's hard to say which version turns up.
Squad lists and player details
Squad and player details
| Name | Country | Age | Position | Height | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nurshamil Abdul Ghani | Malaysia | 32 | Attacker | 177 cm | 76 kg |
| S. Abdallah | Burundi | 26 | Attacker | n/a | n/a |
| Amirul Shafik Che Soh | Malaysia | 29 | Attacker | n/a | n/a |
| M. Ijezie | Nigeria | 39 | Attacker | 183 cm | 74 kg |
| Joseph Kalang Tie | Malaysia | 39 | Attacker | 167 cm | 67 kg |
| A. Kamara | Liberia | 29 | Attacker | n/a | n/a |
| N. Davronov | Tajikistan | 35 | Midfielder | 180 cm | 74 kg |
| Azuanie Jasman | Malaysia | n/a | Midfielder | n/a | n/a |
| Bruno Dybal | Brazil | 32 | Midfielder | 181 cm | 74 kg |
| Ahmad Azriddin Rosli | Malaysia | 31 | Midfielder | 180 cm | n/a |
| Irwan Syazmin Wahab | Malaysia | 31 | Midfielder | n/a | n/a |
| Rafiezan Razali | Malaysia | 38 | Midfielder | n/a | n/a |
| Hidhir Idris | Malaysia | 29 | Midfielder | 167 cm | n/a |
| Mazwandi Zekeria | Malaysia | 37 | Defender | 177 cm | 65 kg |
| Badrul Affendy Fadzli | Malaysia | 33 | Defender | 185 cm | 73 kg |
| Aylton Alemão | Brazil | 38 | Defender | n/a | n/a |
| L. Ramesh | Malaysia | 46 | Defender | 167 cm | 61 kg |
| Andy Nicholas Anak Nipen | Malaysia | 29 | Goalkeeper | n/a | n/a |
| Norazlan Razali | Malaysia | 40 | Goalkeeper | 185 cm | 85 kg |
| Célio Santos | Brazil | 39 | Defender | 190 cm | 88 kg |
| Name | Country | Age | Position | Height | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kim Shin-Wook | Korea Republic | 38 | Attacker | 196 cm | 93 kg |
| Welthon | Brazil | 34 | Attacker | 180 cm | 83 kg |
| Luís Machado | Portugal | 33 | Midfielder | 171 cm | 66 kg |
| R. Mingazow | Turkmenistan | 34 | Midfielder | 175 cm | 66 kg |
| S. Temirov | Uzbekistan | 27 | Midfielder | 180 cm | 70 kg |
| Fernando | Hong Kong, China | 39 | Attacker | 180 cm | 76 kg |
| Walter | Brazil | 35 | Attacker | 180 cm | 79 kg |
| Tan Chun Lok Mark | Hong Kong, China | 30 | Midfielder | 175 cm | 75 kg |
| Lam Jordan Lok Kan | Hong Kong, China | 27 | Midfielder | 175 cm | n/a |
| S. Buddle | Hong Kong, China | 27 | Attacker | 180 cm | 65 kg |
| Ngan Cheuk Pan | Hong Kong, China | 28 | Midfielder | 173 cm | 66 kg |
| Poon Pui Hin | Hong Kong, China | 26 | Midfielder | 180 cm | 69 kg |
| Aarón Rey | Spain | 28 | Attacker | 173 cm | 69 kg |
| Jay Maeda Haddow | Japan | 22 | Defender | n/a | n/a |
| S. Ichikawa | Hong Kong, China | 22 | Midfielder | 169 cm | 62 kg |
| Chen Ngo Hin | Hong Kong, China | 23 | Attacker | n/a | n/a |
| M. Slattery | Hong Kong, China | 21 | Attacker | 176 cm | 71 kg |
| Yueng Cheuk Kwan | Hong Kong, China | 19 | Midfielder | 177 cm | n/a |
| Pang Hing-Hei | Hong Kong, China | 19 | Attacker | 181 cm | n/a |
| Yu Ching Wai | Hong Kong, China | 19 | Midfielder | n/a | n/a |
With no odds attached to this match and only one continental outing apiece to go on, there isn't enough here to build a confident case either way.
Kuching FA's home advantage and strong domestic numbers are worth noting, but Kitchee have shown they can score goals too. We'll pass on this one until there's more to work with.
Who will win?
