Azkals vs Fiji in friendly tiff

Tempo Online
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Phil and James Younghusband, Malaysian-based players Misagh Bahadoran and Iain Ramsay, Mike and Manny Ott, Daisuke Sato and Pika Minegishi banner the 23-man squad while goalkeeper Michael Falkesgaard, who plays for Thai club Bangkok United, is expected to make his international debut. Fil-Spanish striker Javier Patino, meanwhile, is set to make his return after a knee injury sidelined him in the last three Azkals matches, including the scoreless tie against Nepal in their Asian Cup qualifiers match last November in Kathmandu. Fiji, ranked No. 168 in the FIFA rankings, will be the first Oceanian side the Azkals face since rolling to a 5-0 victory over Papua New Guinea in a Oct. 2014 friendly at Rizal Memorial.

By Jonas Terrado

The Philippine Azkals test their readiness before next week’s do-or-die 2019 Asian Cup qualifiers match when they host Fiji in an international friendly match tonight at the Rizal Memorial Stadium.

A strong showing coupled with a victory in the 7:30 p.m. match would give the Azkals the momentum they need heading into Tuesday’s encounter with Tajikistan for a chance to secure their first-ever Asian Cup appearance.

Coach Thomas Dooley and the Azkals need at least a draw to secure qualification to the continental tournament which will be hosted by the United Arab Emirates.

Dooley, who has been in charge since 2014, is keen on putting the Azkals in the best form possible despite the situation surrounding his contract which is set to expire this month being a subject of football observers in recent weeks.

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