PHILIPPINE AZKALS captain Stephan Schrock said the home team is up for a challenging match against Syria in the second round of the 2022 World Cup Qualifiers at the Panaad Stadium here on Thursday night.
“We’re facing a very, very good squad. Syria is an outstanding squad in Asia and the Middle East. It will be a very tough game for us,” the Filipino-German midfielder said during the pre-match press conference on Wednesday night.
The Azkals, 126th in the FIFA World Rankings, is the apparent underdog against the 87th ranked Syria in Group A, which also includes China, Maldives, and Guam.
“Facing a very talented and good squad is enough motivation for us to see how good and how prepared we are already,” Schrock added.
Irish mentor Scott Cooper, the Azkals’ assistant team manager, acknowledged that playing against Syria would indeed be tough.
“It looks like it’s a game Syria would be comfortable in. It looks like a game that will be difficult for us. Statistics and rankings don’t lie. We’re not fooling ourselves. We know that Syria has some wonderful players,” he said.
Still, Cooper said Thursday night’s match would be “a good opportunity to see how we can fare against a very, very strong team”.
On Syria’s side, head coach Fajr Ibrahim said they came to win, and would play “knowing a lot about the Philippine team”.
“We are here to win. That’s very important for us,” Ibrahim added.
The group’s top finish will gain an automatic spot in the third round and a place in the 2023 AFC Asian Cup while the four best second placers from the eight qualifying groups are also advancing to the next phase.
Meanwhile, joining Schrock in the Philippines’ 23-man line-up are goalkeepers Patrick Deyto, Michael Falkesgaard, Kevin Ray Hansen, defenders Amani Aguinaldo, Mikel Baas, Marco Casambre, Carlie de Murga, Sean Kane, Daisuke Sato, Alvaro Silva, Martin Steuble, midfielders Yrick Gallantes, Angel Guirado, Kevin Ingreso, Manny Ott, Mike Ott, Iain Ramsay, John-Patrick Strauss, forwards Mark Hartmann, Javier Patño, OJ Porteria, and Patrick Reichelt.
The Philippines vs. Syria match will be shown live on 5 Plus. Kick-off time is 7:30 p.m. (By Nanette Guadalquiver)
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