Kitchee can carry possession against Phnom Penh Crown, but its earlier entries rarely became accurate finishes. Crown had several scorers arrive late in that meeting. In the other rematch, Pathum's first burst against Tai Po came through several attackers and loose second balls. Each contest turns on whether the defending side ends the next attack after the first opening.
Kitchee's Everton and Mingazov can feed repeated wide entries, yet Kitchee put only four shots on target against Crown and two at Kuching when Illarramendi played. Illarramendi is among the possible returnees. Crown travel without Dyer, who took six shots but only one on target in the first meeting; Mijland, Sa Ty, Bares and Chanpolin supplied other finishing routes. Kitchee can press early, while Crown have shown an answer after a level spell. That's why I'm siding with Phnom Penh Crown to hold their own.
Pathum's first meeting with Tai Po featured six accurate shots and a rapid sequence of goals. Tai Po have had more time to prepare, and their coach has identified the restart and second-ball problem. Philip Chan is reported available after missing the first meeting, though his match role is unconfirmed. Pathum's near-identical core then kept plenty of possession against Chonburi but produced just one accurate shot. I expect Tai Po to screen the central second ball more closely, so I'm siding with Tai Po to keep the gap manageable.
