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Kitchee and Vissel Kobe will square off on the final matchday of the AFC Champions League group stage on Sunday.
The Japanese outfit come into the game on the back of a goalless draw with Chiangrai United on Monday.
Kitchee narrowly edged out the same opponent in a five-goal thriller on Thursday. Phitiwat Sukjitthammakul scored one goal and provided an assist for Chiangrai United but it was not enough against their Hong Kong opponents who claimed a 3-2 victory.
The win helped Kitchee claim second spot in Group H, having garnered seven points from three matches. Vissel Kobe sit at the summit of the table on seven points, making Sunday's clash a direct knockout qualifier for the knockout rounds.
Kitchee vs Vissel Kobe Head-to-Head
The first leg meeting between the two sides ended in a 2-1 victory for Vissel Kobe. Yuya Goke and Shon Inoue found the back of the net in either half to guide the Japanese side to the win. Alexander Akande scored an injury-time consolation goal for Kitchee.
This was the only defeat suffered by Kitchee so far, while Kobe have won two and drawn one of their three matches in the competition.
Kitchee form guide (all competitions): W-L-W-W-D
Vissel Kobe form guide (all competitions): D-W-W-L-L
Kitchee vs Vissel Kobe Team News
Kitchee
Chun-Ting Ho, Dani Cancela and Clement Benhaddouche are unavailable due to injuries.
Injuries: Dani Cancela, Clement Benhaddouche, Chun-Ting Ho
Suspension: None
Vissel Kobe
Vissel Kobe have several fitness issues to worry about. Sergi Samper, Noriaki Fujimoto, Andres Iniesta, Daiju Sasaki and Yoshinori Muto have been ruled out with injuries.
Injuries: Sergi Samper, Noriaki Fujimoto, Daiju Sasaki, Yoshinori Muto, Andres Iniesta
Suspension: None
Kitchee vs Vissel Kobe Predicted XI
Vissel Kobe (4-2-3-1): Daiya Maekawa (GK); Yuki Kobayashi, Tomoaki Makino, Leo Osaki, Gotoku Sakai; Hotaru Yamaguchi, Takahiro Ogihara; Bojan Krkic, Yuya Nakasaka, Yuta Goke; Yuya Osako
Kitchee (4-5-1): Paulo Cesar (GK); Shinichi Chan, Sean Ka Keung Tse, Helio Goncalves, Beto; Raul Baena, Matthew Orr, Cleiton, Ruslan Mingazov, Tsz-Chun Law; Dejan Damjanovic
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Kitchee vs Vissel Kobe Prediction
The two sides are locked in a battle for top spot and qualification from the group. They are likely to be cautious in their play to limit the chances afforded to the opposing team.
Vissel Kobe only need a draw while Kitchee need maximum points, and we are backing the spoils to be shared in a low-scoring game.
Prediction: Kitchee 1-1 Vissel Kobe
