Boeung Ket Angkor football club will face Preah
Khan Reach Svay Rieng FC this weekend in a crucial rematch that may well decide
the outcome of this year’s Metfone Cambodian League.
The Boeung Ket Angkor FC versus PKR Svay Rieng
FC match up is among three games that will be played this Sunday as the second
leg of Cambodia’s top football league returns to action after a two-week
hiatus. The match will be played at the Cambodia Airways Stadium in Phnom Penh,
starting 3:30pm.
The other second-round matches on September 27
will pit Kirivong Sok Sen Chey FC against Soltilo Angkor FC at the Kirivong Sok
Sen Chey Stadium, starting 3:30pm and Visakha will play NagaWorld FC at the
Prince Stadium at 6pm.
The two teams are neck-and-neck in the
standings with a just a few games remaining between them before the second and
final leg of the tournament concludes. Boeung Ket Angkor FC is currently on top
of the heap with 36 points, with PKR Svay Rieng FC closely behind on 34.
Boeung Ket Angkor FC is coming off a 1-1 draw
with NagaWorld FC two weeks ago, while PKR Svay Rieng FC regained its form with
a 5-2 win over Tiffy Army FC on Sept 13, after unexpectedly losing two straight
matches prior.
Boeung Ket Angkor FC has a slight edge after
winning the first match, 4-2. The team has also strengthened its lineup for the
second leg with the addition of Nigerian striker Dzarma Bata Debiro, who is on
loan from Angkor Tiger FC.
In addition to Dzarma Bata, Boeung Ket Angkor
FC can rely on Cambodian ‘wunderkid’ Sieng Chanthea, South African forward
Mothusi Gopane, Cambodian striker Mat Noron, three-time Cambodian League MVP
Chan Vathanaka and Cambodian ace defender Tes Sambath.
But the defending champions are no pushovers,
with a star-studded lineup bannered by striker Jean Befolo “Privat” Mbarga of
Cameroon and the Brazilian attacking pair of Thiago Santos and Pedro Augusto.
The re-emergence of star forward Prak Mony Udom
could prove the X-factor. The often injured player has now fully recovered and
recently showed flashes of special talent that made him the MCL Player of the
Year three years ago.
Japanese midfielder Daisuke Kobayashi, American
defensive star Jonny Campbell, team captain Soeuy Visal, Cambodian midfielder
Hoy Phallin and defensive specialist Sareth Krya are also expected to play
prominent roles for PKR Svay Rieng FC.
“I believe we can still win it,” Campbell said
in an interview. “We will work hard to fix the mistakes we made and continue
our preparation for our next game against Boeung Ket.”
A win by PKR Svay Rieng FC would see the team
return to the top of the standings while a draw would see Boeung Ket Angkor FC
maintaining its advantage. A loss by the former would make it extremely hard
for the Svay Rieng province-based team to recover and win the title, meaning
big stakes are on the game.
After the matchon Sunday, PKR Svay Rieng FC
will only have two remaining games against Visakha FC on October 11 and NagaWorld
FC on Oct 25.
Boeung Ket Angkor FC, meanwhile, will finish
the season with two more matches against Tiffy Army FC on Oct 11 and Phnom Penh
Crown FC on Oct 25.
The 2020 season of the MCL will conclude on Oct
25.