Pereira has 52 goals in 84 appearances for the club, a return that piqued the interest of head coach Andersen, who has overhauled his front line this year.
Andersen said he had to be “clever” around Asian Cup selection, and hinted any head-to-head choices would go in favour of more versatile performers.
The adaptable Pereira is in a strong position, but is not being complacent about his ticket to Qatar, with the likes of newly eligible trio Everton Camargo, Michael Udebuluzor and Juninho, and squad mainstays Matt Orr and Mahama Awal, forming a powerful battery of attackers.
All the forwards will be vying for game time against the city’s under-23s on Saturday, when both Juninho and Udebuluzor, who missed the first match, are expected to be available.
“Training and practice matches are where I can show the coach I should be there,” said Pereira. “Sometimes, there is only one chance to score and I have to take it.
“I have been speaking to the coach for a long time, and I did everything possible to be here, but there is no pressure on me from anybody else. The only pressure is what I put on myself to stay fit and score goals.
“I am still getting used to being with the players and the coach, and the environment here, and I want to be part of the team and help Hong Kong improve.”
Pereira drew a blank in his second-half outing against Kitchee, but progressively found his feet after earning an early rebuke from Andersen for his poor positioning.
“I am adjusting to the coach’s style, we train very hard and he wants us to be in condition to press all the time,” Pereira said. “I feel good with this, I think with this approach we can do something [meaningful] at the Asian Cup. When we press high and win the ball, we have more chances to score.
“We also push at Southern, but here it is tough, the coach has his philosophy, and his way to prepare.”
Orr played the first-half against Kitchee, before making way for Pereira. Camargo was among the wave of players withdrawn at half-time after a typically direct and purposeful display.
Andersen will cut five members of his 30-man party after the practice match, with Hong Kong travelling to Abu Dhabi on December 27 to continue preparations.
The Norwegian has until January 4, 10 days before Hong Kong begin their Asian Cup campaign against United Arab Emirates in Al Rayyan, to submit his final 23-man squad.
“There is one more game [in Hong Kong] for everybody to play and get the match feeling,” Pereira said. “We lost against Kitchee, and that is never a good feeling. But playing these fixtures is how we will improve and be 100 per cent when we reach the competition.
“I do not get nervous before the matches, if there is pressure before a game I feel cold inside. The most important thing now is to follow the coaching plan, then I hope for the chance to help Hong Kong grow stronger.”
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