Inter Miami match could clash with Asian Cup, but will Hong Kong still be there? Coach Jorn Andersen is ‘realistic’

Andersen, who will use a pre-Asian Cup training camp to enhance the conditioning of a squad “not fit enough to play international football”, said he would announce a preliminary selection for the Miami game “in the next few weeks”.

The Post has been told players are in the dark over who will be included, but the coach was pragmatic about his potential options.

“[The FA] had to find a solution for the Inter Miami game, and there are enough players in Hong Kong to play [if the national team are not back],” Andersen said.

“Our last game could be on January 23 [final group match], or in the last 16 on the 28th or 29th. If we come through the group, we are likely to play Australia or Qatar, so it is very difficult to go to the quarter finals.

“We will see what happens, but we are realistic. We know we are Hong Kong, the bottom-ranked team in the tournament. But I told the players we can create a surprise. What we did in the Asian Games [when the under-23s beat Iran], showed what is possible when you work together.

“The quality gap is bigger than in the under-23s, but we will try our best. If we have to come home after the 28th or 29th, we can see who is ready to play against Inter Miami.”

Andersen had roughly half his provisional 29-man Asian Cup squad available for the first day of the month-long training camp on Thursday.

He revealed Kitchee player Fernando, who started five of Hong Kong’s past six games, had ruled himself out of the Asian Cup. “His wife is pregnant and he does not want to leave her,” Andersen said.

The Kitchee contingent had a midweek ACL Champions League game and will join the squad on Saturday. Newly naturalised forward Juninho’s thigh injury will delay his arrival until next week.

Those who did train on day one went through a gruelling running session, and Andersen said the coming weeks would be “like a pre-season”.

“Everybody knows these players are not fit enough to play international football,” Andersen said. “They are fit enough for the Hong Kong Premier League [where] the tempo and intensity are much lower, so you can play in not such good condition.

“We must be fitter to compete at the Asian Cup, it is not enough to have normal training.”

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Andersen confirmed Hong Kong’s final pre-finals friendly, against Saudi Arabia in Doha, would happen on January 10, four days before their opener against United Arab Emirates.

Bosses are trying to arrange a second fixture in Abu Dhabi, where the squad continue preparations from December 27, to add to a meeting there with Tajikistan.

“We have a much better squad than when we qualified, but we will face the best teams in Asia,” Andersen said. “It will be good for the players to take the next step and show their potential.”