Azkals vs Malaysia in AFC Cup buildup

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine Azkals will have a familiar face, Malaysia, as “training buddies” as they gear up for the coming AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers.

Philippine Football Federation general secretary Edwin Gastanes yesterday told The STAR that everything’s set for an international friendly between the Azkals and Tigers on March 22 at Rizal Memorial Stadium.

“The friendly with Malaysia on March 22 is confirmed and the venue will be at the RMS,” Gastanes said.

The duel with Malaysia will be held six days before Phl XI is scheduled to kick off its Asian Cup Qualifiers bid with a home game against Nepal in Group F, giving the Filipinos a good gauge of their fitness level and what needs to be improved on before the big tournament.

This will be the fifth time Phl and Malaysia will meet in a friendly since 2012. The  two sides actually settled for standoffs in their last four outings,  drawing 1-1 in Manila and 0-0 in Shah Alam in a home-and-away arrangement in 2012 then playing to a pair of scoreless stalemates in Cebu and Selayang in 2014.

Like the Azkals, the Tigers themselves are building up for the ACQ. The Malaysians are in Group B and will begin their bid against North Korea on March 28 over in Pyongyang.