Travels to Asia to affect Azkals’ AFC performance

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine Azkals will have familiar rivals Tajikistan, Yemen and Nepal as groupmates and stumbling blocks in their bid to make it to the final round of the prestigious Asian Football Confederation Asian Cup.

The Pinoy booters drew the Tajiks, Yemenis and Nepalese as opponents in Group F after Monday night’s draw for the qualifiers that feature a double round-robin, home-and-away format. Only the Top 2 of the group will earn a ticket to Asia’s football showpiece in 2019.  

“It’s not an easy group,” Philippine Football Federation (PFF) president Nonong Araneta told The STAR yesterday.

Azkals coach Thomas Dooley, for his part, said it will all boil down to good preparations.

“If we are smart and pay attention to the preparation, and work together with the league owners about the schedule, I think we have a huge chance to qualify for the first time. It would be fantastic for football in the Philippines. This is what we all want so let’s be focused on all details and make it happen,” he said in a separate interview with The  STAR.

Araneta said travelling to Tajikistan, Nepal and the home stadium of Yemen, possibly in a neutral venue like Doha, Qatar, could affect team performance.

“The travelling distance will take a toll on all the teams. We just have to make sure that we get three points everytime we play at home. And we hope the fans will come to support the team,” he said.

The Azkals will kick off their bid at home against Nepal on Mar. 28 then they fly to Tajikistan for an away fixture on June 13. It will be another home outing on Sept. 5 versus Yemen before a tough back-to-back matches on the road against Yemen and Nepal on Oct. 10 and Nov. 14, respectively. They will cap their quest with a duel with Tajikistan in Phl on Mar. 27, 2018.