Preview
Manchester United take on Hong Kong-based Kitchee SC in the last game of their Asian tour on Monday (July 29). Concerns over the state of the pitch at the Hong Kong stadium have dominated pre-game discussions. During the final of the Barclays Asia Trophy between Manchester City and Sunderland, played at the same ground, the pitch looked severely affected by torrential rain. The center of the field in particular, looked unplayable during the game. Sunderland manager Paolo Di Canio raised concerns over the safety over his players.
"Of course I'm worried about the safety of the players, it's a killer pitch," said Di Canio.
With the start of the Premier League season fast approaching, United will be hoping to avoid major injuries, an objective complicated by an uneven playing surface.
Where to Watch
Kick-off is scheduled for 5:30 pm IST and live coverage is available on NEO Prime.
Manchester United
David Moyes' team has endured a difficult pre-season winning only one of their four games so far. Their last fixture, against Cerezo Osaka, ended 2-2, with Wilfred Zaha scoring an injury time equaliser. When asked of his sides abject form, Moyes highlighted the quality of the Japanese teams his team have faced.
'It's pre-season and we're at the start of our season," he was quoted saying in the Daily Mail. "We played two very good Japanese teams. We'd like to do better but I've seen some good signs and I think it's improving."
The Scot was keen to assure fans that United will be ready for the start of the season.
"We'll be ready for the start of season, no doubt about that," he continued. "I've enjoyed the tour, it's incredibly well run by Manchester United."
The tour has seen the emergence of some of the Manchester club's young talent, in particular Wilfred Zaha and Jesse Lingard. Zaha has one goal so far while Lingard has scored three.
Kitchee
Kitchee, like United, are in the midst of their pre-season tour. Their record currently stands at two wins and two loses. They were defeated twice by the Shanghai Under-20's. They have since defeated Shanghai SIPG 1-0 and Hong Kong Under-23's 4-0. They play in the Hong Kong first division and last season won the Hong Kong FA Cup. In previous pre-season matches, Kitchee have defeated AC Milan, Juventus and drawn against Arsenal.
